Just Call Me Cinderella
by UnqualifiedAras
Summary: Sakura's new job is not at all what she wanted. Working for the school's biggest jerk and ladykiller will certainly be a thorn in her side or will love bloom? Characters somewhat OOC.
1. Chapter 1

**Just Call Me Cinderella**

_Chapter One_

* * *

Sakura groaned and put her head into her arms. It was only the first day of school and she was finally in last period but she was dreading what was coming.

"Look alive Forehead. Cleaning can't be that bad." Sakura lifted her head slightly and saw her beautiful, blonde best friend Ino.

"Whatever. I have to clean freaking Sasuke Uchiha's house."

Ino sat down next to her and pulled out a notebook. "Yeah, and I'm sure there are like eight million other girls that would kill to get that job. Seriously, I've heard that several girls get that job just so they can hook up with him. It's apparently a common thing."

Sakura sat up and rolled her eyes. "Oh great, I hope he doesn't think that about me. I seriously am just doing this because I need the money. Then again, he's never noticed me before so chances of him seeing me as a maid in his house are very slim." That seemed to cheer Sakura up a little bit and she smiled. This could be great. She could just ignore him and he would prey on someone else like always.

Several squeals erupted and a small group of girls entered the classroom flocking around Sasuke. Sakura and Ino looked over at each other and rolled their eyes. Once upon a time they had both been like that. But that was back in middle school before they realized what a jerk Sasuke could really be. They had a lot of classes together and it seemed like that for whatever reason he was in a lot of their classes too. Naruto squeezed his way through the door and ran straight for them.

"Sakura! Ino! Hey guys! Do you mind if I sit next to you?" He smiled his contagious smile at them and they instantly softened up.

"That depends, are they going to be sitting with us too?" Sakura motioned to the group of fangirls that were around Sasuke next to the front door. She really didn't want to deal with all that before she had to clean his house.

"Nah, they usually scatter right before class. He'll probably sit with us as well as Sai." Ino tensed and Sakura gave her a small smile.

Ino had a crush on Sai since last year when they were in the same Geometry class. He was so smart and would always help her with problems but he was very focused on his art. Ino never got the chance to get close to him. This summer Sai had been accepted into the early entrance into a prestigious art college and was now relaxing a bit. He took some classes on the weekend but he didn't have to stress about his art. Sakura leaned over to whisper in Ino's ear.

"This is going to be your year." Ino looked at her and winked as Sai came and sat next to Naruto.

"Hey Ino. This is like the second class we have together."

"Yeah, isn't it great?" Ino was never shy around anyone but there was something about him at first that made her close up. She'd be normal pretty soon. There was one seat left next to Sai and in a few seconds Sasuke had made his way to it. He looked down the row and recognized Sai, Naruto, and the girl Ino that used to be in love with him but was pretty cool now. They were lab partners last year in science and they got along really well. The girl on the end with the weird pink hair he didn't recognize and he figured she was some new reject they had decided to be nice to.

"Hey Idiot, who's the new loser you've befriended?" Everybody turned to look at Sasuke. He pointed at Sakura.

"Jerk, are you serious? She's been in our class since we were kids. She used to have a crush on you in the eighth grade. Remember? You said she was annoying?" Naruto looked at him incredulously. Normally Naruto was the slow one but for some reason Sasuke was it today.

Sakura glared at Sasuke with fire. _Are you freaking kidding me? He doesn't even know who I am?_ She stood up suddenly and grabbed her stuff.

"Yo, forehead where are you going?" Ino grabbed onto her arm to stop her. She knew her best friend wasn't popular but it always hurt when people actually thought she was invisible.

"I can't see the board very well from here so I'm moving up a little. You can stay here if you want." Sakura smiled down at her and ignored the curious expression form Naruto, the bored expression from Sai, and the stupid smirk from Sasuke. She had tried to sound like she wasn't suddenly pissed about being invisible. They'd only known each other for forever.

Ino let go of her arm and Sakura marched a few seats forward to one of Sasuke's fangirls. Everyone in the back row where she had been sitting watched her. "Can we trade seats? I can't see very well from back there. Plus," she leaned down and whispered the next part "I was sitting pretty close to Sasuke so you'd be able to see him better from where I was." The girl immediately sprung up and ran to the seat next to Ino.

Ino rolled her eyes as the girl spent the whole class staring at Sasuke. _Forehead I will kill you for sending me this dumb chick!_ Ino bored holes into Sakura's head. She could tell that Sakura was doing her work diligently and listening intently to the teacher. She always was a smarty pants.

The bell rang and Ino and Naruto rushed to talk to Sakura. "Hey, we'll sit with you tomorrow. I'll tell Sasuke he can sit somewhere else." Sakura smiled at Naruto's statement. They had become pretty good friends in the last year and he had a crush on another one of her best friends Hinata. Sasuke must really be a terrible person if his best friend is willing to kick him to the curb.

"That would be nice." Sakura smiled at them. "Well, I gotta go. It's my first day on the job and I don't want to be late!" She waved at them as she turned to leave.

"Good luck!" said Ino.

"His family isn't as bad as he is so don't worry!" She barely heard Naruto as she ran out the door toward the Uchiha mansion.

* * *

Sakura knocked on the door on the side of the Uchiha mansion. When she was hired last week they gave her a very detailed map about where to go. She was only allowed to use the front door on special occasions. She doubted that was ever going to happen so she memorized where the side door was. A woman with dark hair that had one strip of gray in it opened the door. She smiled warmly at Sakura.

"Ah! You must be Sakura. I'm Mei the head of housekeeping here at the Uchiha mansion." She held out her hand for Sakura to shake it. Sakura took it and returned her smile. "I've worked here for fifteen years. I'm even Mikoto's personal assistant." Sakura nodded. Everyone knew that Mikoto was the lady of the house. It would be a great honor for her to be her assistant.

"Well, first we'll get you into your uniform and then we'll go over the rules and then we'll get you started." Mei handed Sakura a plain gray, button down dress with a white apron. She showed her a locker where she could put all of her things and a bathroom. There was also another room that had a few beds. According to Mei this is where the maid's sleep if they don't have time to go home between shifts.

"All right. First things first. You're shifts are Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday two to eight. Wednesday you will work from six to eight in the morning and Saturday your shift is seven to seven. Is that right?" Sakura nodded her head. "Okay, there are a few major rules that we'll go over right now. First, do not speak to the family members unless they address you first or you are trying to get their attention. This rule may seem like a no brainer but we have a lot of girls that are trying to win over either Master Sasuke or Master Itachi."

"Don't worry about that. I'm really just here because I need the money. I have no intention of winning them over." Mei smiled at her. She could tell Sakura was serious.

"Perfect. Second, you are bound to your workload unless a member of the family asks you for something specific." Sakura looked a little confused. "Let's say you are changing the sheets in someone's room and they request you to run an errand or assist them. You must comply." Sakura nodded her understanding. So, she was more like a slave.

"Third, keep professional if possible at all times. I hate to admit but because we are a little short staffed at the moment," Mei's voice dropped down a little "Sasuke recently fired three of our maids that he had been with." Sakura's eyes widened. How stupid could these girls be?

"Anyway, because of the fact that you will be dealing with a lot of the upstairs chores you may see some things you don't want to see. Especially on Wednesday and Saturday mornings." Sakura instantly caught her drift. She meant that Sakura might see Sasuke tangled up with some slut. _Great. Why me?_

"I understand."

Mei smiled. "Good. Those are the major rules we have here. So, now to your specific jobs. Follow me."

Mei led Sakura out of the maid's quarters to a staircase. The staircase led out into the kitchen area. From there she walked out into the dining room and then the formal entryway. Sakura tried her best not to gawk at everything around her. She had never been to the Uchiha mansion before. Sasuke threw three parties a year but she had never once been invited. Ino went to every one and then would spend the night at Sakura's house telling her all of the details. Her descriptions of the house's grandeur were nothing compared to really seeing it. Mei smiled down at her wide eyes.

"First time in the mansion? I thought you went to the same school? Haven't you been here before?" Sakura turned to smile at Mei.

"Actually no. I'm invisible to Sasuke. Which is just the way I like it."

Mei's smile widened and she laughed. "I knew I liked you!"

They laughed while Mei took Sakura upstairs. At the end of the hall there was a giant closet filled with cleaning supplies. "Okay, Your job is simple. There are set days for set jobs. Monday is bathrooms. Tuesday is dusting. Wednesday is windows. Thursday is clothing laundry. Friday you change the sheets and Saturday you vacuum, clean the bathrooms, and take care of anything in their rooms that they ask you too. You got that?" Sakura nodded trying to process the information. "Don't worry. Here's your schedule."

Mei handed Sakura a little piece of laminated paper. She took it and stuck it into the pocket of her dress. She did not want to lose this piece of paper until she got the hang of everything.

"Okay, last thing is that to clock in and out you just need to make sure that you speak with the security man at the base of the stairs to the maid's quarters. We won't penalize you for being late on school days. Oh, and before you enter a room make sure you knock twice. If they don't respond walk in, and quietly. They could be sleeping or something. If they do respond listen to what they say. If they ask you to come back ask a time frame. And always be polite." Mei smiled one last time and headed down the stairs. Sakura took this as her cue to get working on the bathrooms.

In the cupboard was a detailed map of the top floor of the house as well as labels for exactly what supplies she needed for each job. This really was an organized and efficient machine. Sakura took the correct supplies and headed to the bathroom in the master suite since it was the farthest away. She knocked twice and there was a slight "come in". She opened the door and bowed slightly to Mikoto who sat at her desk.

"Ah, you must be the new maid! Hello, I'm Mikoto and what is your name?" Sakura looked up and smiled. Mikoto seemed like a very nice woman.

"My name is Sakura Haruno." Mikoto smiled and moved a little closer to her.

"That is a very pretty name. Thank you for cleaning my house. I'm just heading out now so you can continue with the bathroom but first can you take this book to my son Itachi for me? He should be in his room." Mikoto smiled at her and held out a book. Sakura could tell that she was testing her to see how she would react to meeting one of her sons. Sakura tried to keep her face impassive when really she was agitated.

"Yes ma'am." Sakura bowed a little and took the book. Mikoto smiled even bigger as she left the room first. Sakura had obviously passed. She set down the cleaning supplies in the bathroom and then made her way back to the closet chart to figure out where Itachi's room was.

His room was on the left side of the hallway from where she was. It was right in the middle. She knocked twice and waited. She heard a "yes?" and proceeded to open the door. It had been a long time since she had seen Itachi Uchiha. He was now twenty one and in college. He used to pick Sasuke up from school. He still had his long black hair in a low ponytail. He was also the better looking of the two and the nicest. He turned around to look at her and his onyx eyes seemed a little surprised but then they softened.

Itachi looked her up and down before he said anything. "Can I help you?" Sakura awkwardly fidgeted under his gaze. She could feel him undressing her. _This is what most maids want? Seriously?_

"Your mother asked me to give you this book Master Itachi." He stood up and gracefully walked to her. He took the outstretched book and looked at it for half a second and then looked at her.

"You're very pretty. Are you new?" He smiled sweetly to her. No wonder he had a lot of girlfriends. That smile was making her a little weak kneed.

"Yes sir."

"And what is your name?"

"Sakura Haruno, sir." He smiled at her again.

"And do you have any ulterior motives for working here?" She froze for a second a disgusted look crossing her features. _Did he really just say that? Wow, was he bold._ His smile got even bigger. This girl had some spunk. Sakura instantly forgot her professionalism.

"I'm here because I need money. I have no intention of climbing into bed with your or your brother. Call me old fashioned but I think you actually need to have a relationship before you can even think about that happening. Besides, I wouldn't want to taint your rich life with love from the maid." She glared at him with fire. Itachi laughed. Oh, so she was funny?

"I have never met a maid like you before. It is very refreshing to hear your honesty and fire. I think you and I will become close friends. I can't wait for you to release that fire on my foolish little brother." He smiled at her and she softened.

"Well, I've already met your brother. We go to the same school only he doesn't think I exist." Itachi smirked. If Sasuke knew she existed he would be all over Sakura. Itachi just knew it. Having her here was going to be a lot of fun.

"Ah, well. That is a pity. I hope I get to see you yell at him at least once. He definitely deserves it." Itachi smiled at Sakura and she smiled back. He dismissed her to continue her chores.

The rest of the evening was uneventful. Sakura cleaned all of the bathrooms on the top floor. There was one in every bedroom and there were like fifteen bedrooms. After that she headed home and did what little homework she had and fell instantly asleep. Today was such a long day for her but she would have to get used to it.

* * *

**A/N:**

_This is a cliche/silly high school story that I wrote a couple of years ago but I freaking love it so I'm sharing it will all of you! _


	2. Chapter 2

**Just Call Me Cinderella**

_Chapter Two_

* * *

"Tell me, tell me, tell me!" Ino poked Sakura's forehead while Sakura tried to eat her sandwich. She was practically yelling at this point.

"Ow! Ino-pig! Fine! I cleaned the bathrooms and I met his mother and his brother." Ino dropped her fork.

"You met Itachi Uchiha? The only guy that is hotter than Sasuke? Did you make out?" Ino's eyes sparkled as she moved closer.

"What? No! Ino I'm not a slut. Besides you know I'm there to work not play. We just had a nice conversation. I think we're going to get along really well. He also thinks that Sasuke has a stick up his butt." Ino snickered as Sakura took another bite of her sandwich.

"Who's got a stick up their butt?" Naruto set his tray next to Sakura and sat down. Sai sat down next to Ino. Ino instantly blushed.

"Who do you think idiot?" Sakura took another bite.

"She of course means the King of the school Sasuke Uchiha." Tenten sat down on the other side of Sakura and Hinata sat next to Naruto.

"See? Tenten wasn't even here and she knew exactly who I meant." Naruto made a face at Sakura and then started eating.

"Precisely. The only other person she could mean was me and we all know that I'm not that bad." Neji had suddenly materialized on Ino's other side across from Tenten. Everyone burst out laughing.

Lunch then was spent talking about various things. Sakura kept quiet for most of it. The guys were all best friends with Sasuke but in the last year they had grown closer to the group of girls. Mainly because Naruto liked Hinata and Neji was over protective of her. Sai was also too awkward and insulting of Sasuke most of the time so Sasuke didn't want to deal with him. Usually they left Sasuke to fend for himself with his fangirls at lunch.

Sasuke walked over and sat next to Neji. There were no fangirls anywhere and he looked agitated. "Why are you all ditching me every day for lunch?"

Tenten rolled her eyes. "Because there are normal girls over here who are actually able to hold conversations unlike you." Sakura snorted and almost choked on her juice. She knew there was a reason that she was friends with Tenten.

* * *

Sakura made it to the rest of her classes without any problems. She tried to get her head mentally prepared for more work at the Uchiha household. During her classes she tried to get a little bit of homework done ahead of time. She was always really studious but this semester would be a little harder.

With her dad passing away Sakura had to start working and making more of an effort to help at home. She never saw her mom anymore because she was always working. They had opposite schedules since the night shift her mom had picked up paid a lot more.

The Uchiha house was really quiet tonight. Apparently Sasuke was out partying with some friends and would probably be home quite late. Itachi was in his room studying and the parents were away on business for a few days.

Sakura took in a deep breath and reveled in the atmosphere. The house seemed so relaxing and quiet. Her house never felt that way anymore. It felt empty and cold. Her father passed away from cancer only a month ago and it seemed that he had taken the life out of their house.

Sakura quietly moved through the rooms dusting every inch. She silently hummed to herself. The door creaked. She was in one of the guest rooms. She turned around to see Itachi leaning against the door frame. _Ugh, what does he want?_

"Hey Sakura. How was your day?" _Uh, is he actually here just to talk to me? What the heck is he playing at?_ Sakura decided to go with it. She was wanting someone to talk to so she kept cleaning while she spoke.

"It was okay. Nothing special since it was only the second day back. How was your day?" He moved from the door frame to sit on the bed.

"It was good. My classes are really interesting and the most beautiful girl sat next to me today." Sakura turned and smiled. _Ah!_ So there was a girl he wanted to talk about but he had no one to talk to.

"Oh really? What's she like?" Itachi smiled and then leaned back on the bed.

"She has long brown hair that goes halfway down her back and dark eyes. Her name is Izumi and we actually had a class together last year but I didn't have enough courage to talk to her. She's so smart and funny. And she makes the cutest face when she doesn't understand what the teacher is saying." Sakura stopped dusting and stared at Itachi. _Why is he opening up to me like this?_ He looked up at her with a concerned expression. "What?"

"Master Itachi"

"Please, just Itachi."

"I think you're in love with her." He smiled really big.

"I think you're right. What should I do? How do I get close to her?" He sat up and looked at Sakura with the saddest expression. This had obviously been tearing him up inside.

"Simple. You ask her if she would like to study with you and then try to keep a regular study date. Then on one of the days ask her if she'd like to get something to eat and then after that ask her on a regular date. Just take it slow and get to know her." Itachi's face lit up. He jumped up and picked up Sakura and spun her around three times.

"You are an absolute GENIUS! I knew coming to talk to you would be the right thing! I knew it! I knew it!" Sakura laughed as he kept spinning her. He was acting like a brother she never had. Kind of like Naruto.

"Itachi, when you're done hugging the maid can you give me the keys to the Astin Martin?" Itachi put Sakura down and turned to look at his little brother.

Sasuke was leaning against the door frame with his arm around Karin's waist. Karin was the biggest slut in their high school and Sakura rolled her eyes. Clearly they were dropped off and were headed to some trashy party. She was wearing a skirt that hardly concealed anything and her shirt ended right under her breasts. Itachi sighed and whispered so only Sakura could hear.

"So annoying. . ." Sakura giggled and tried to hide her amusement. They really did not get along all that well. Itachi moved away from her and walked toward Sasuke while fishing something out of his pocket.

"Hey, aren't you in our class? Saki something or other?" Karin was shooting daggers at Sakura and trying to smile sweetly. She knew exactly who she was. She always picked on her forehead and called her ugly because she had pink hair. Which was not her fault. Neither was her forehead. Her seeing Sakura as a maid at the hottest guy in school's house was only going to make it worse.

Sakura rolled her eyes and put her hip out. Sasuke was looking at her but clearly didn't recognize her. She usually wore her hair down at school but here she wore it in a messy high ponytail.

"Her name's Sakura and yes I believe she is." Itachi smiled at Karin and she turned to look at him clearly confused for why he was coming to Sakura's aid. He handed Sasuke the keys and then turned to her when they left. "Do you have issues with that girl?"

"She's only the biggest slut in the school and she likes to step on me because I have a big forehead, pink hair, and I've gotten pretty quiet over the years." Itachi looked at her.

"Oh really? Why?" Sakura thought about it for a second. There were several reasons why she had changed. _Should I tell him? Sure! He's starting to become a good friend._

"There are several reasons really." He motioned for her to sit next to him on the bed. Sakura complied. "First, I had a crush on this jerk since I was little and in the eighth grade he told me I was annoying so I decided to focus more on school than boys and kind of fell out of the woodwork." Itachi smirked.

"Let me guess. That boy was my foolish little brother." Sakura nodded.

"Yep! Second, I used to have this crazy temper that would erupt at anytime and my best friends could handle it but I met this kid named Naruto who tried my patience to no end and eventually I learned to cool off." Itached chuckled.

"Yes, Naruto is a handful."

"Lastly, my dad died about a month ago. I haven't really been my old self in a while. He was always so carefree and happy and then one day he gets cancer and dies. It's like he took that part of me with him so now I just want to focus on my studies even more. I have no problem being in the background. I don't care if she picks on me because one day she'll say the wrong thing and my temper will snap and she'll regret it." Sakura turned and smiled at Itachi. There were a few tears streaming down her cheeks but she hadn't noticed. Itachi smiled and gently put his arms around her in a comforting, brotherly hug.

After a few minutes he let go and told her that he'd kept her from her work too long and headed out the door. Sakura quickly finished and made her way home as well. She needed to get to bed early if she was going to get up for work tomorrow at five.

* * *

Sakura's alarm exploded at five am. She grudgingly got out of bed and dressed in her uniform. She grabbed her school uniform and books and rushed to get to the Uchiha's. Her mom had the car still so she walked. It wasn't that far and the crisp morning air helped to wake her up. It was her first time working the morning shift and she was a little nervous. Mei had explained to her that it was usually a really chill shift since everyone was still sleeping and they were mainly there for smaller chores.

Sakura quickly shoved her stuff in her locker and clocked in. She was about to make her way to the top of the stairs when the kitchen staff stopped her. "Ah, Miss, can you take this tray up to Master Sasuke's room? He requested that breakfast be delivered to his room by six thirty. We aren't allowed in there and the butler suggested we ask you since you are the maid on that floor."

Sakura nodded that she would take it and grabbed the silver tray from the man smiling at her. It had pastries and coffee and some bacon and eggs. Honestly, it looked delicious. She had forgotten to eat breakfast.

"Oh, Sakura!" Sakura turned around to see Mei smiling at her. "I need you to also pick up the school uniform of the lady staying with Master Sasuke. We need to speed clean and press it for her before school starts."

Sakura smiled and then turned around to head up the stairs. She rolled her eyes. It was sad that the staff was so prepared for Sasuke to have overnight visitors. He was a man whore. He was nothing like his brother from what she could tell.

Since it was six fifteen am Sakura didn't knock on the door. She was only allowed to knock after seven thirty and before midnight. Sakura gingerly opened the door and walked into the room. It was huge. Sure she had dusted it a little yesterday but she didn't really look at it. There was a small section that had a couch and two oversized chairs with a coffee table in the middle.

She walked forward and placed the tray lightly on the table. To the right of that there was the bathroom she had cleaned and his closet. There was a small partition wall that separated the bed from the sitting area and she made her way lightly there. She needed the girl's clothes.

Sakura tip-toed through the wall opening and tried not to look at the scene in front of her or she might gag. Karin was clutching tightly with her leg and arm to a sleeping Sasuke. They were both naked. The sheet that was supposed to be covering them slipped a little and Karin's ginormous butt was sticking out. _Who hates me that they'd make me see this?_ Sakura looked up and cursed the heavens as she located the uniform that Karin had discarded before putting on her skanky outfit from yesterday.

Sasuke shifted position and groaned. Sakura booked it out of there not wanting to speak to either of them. She quickly got the clothes to be cleaned and made her way to wash the windows.

At around seven forty five when she was almost done Itachi's door flew open. "Ah! Sakura! Good morning!"

"Good morning Itachi!"

Sakura smiled and then continued to wash the last remaining windows that were down the hall. Sakura was on the last window now at the top of a ladder reaching for the tallest point. She had managed to get it with all of the other ones but she was getting tired. Plus, it was the end of her shift so she was antsy about getting to school on time.

"Oh look, if it isn't the ugliest maid on the planet." Sakura didn't look down but she knew that Karin was below her smirking her distaste. Sakura ignored her and kept working. "Oops!" Karin nudged the ladder with her arm and then sauntered down the steps.

Sakura's eyes widened as the ladder started wobbling to and fro. She was too high to get any good stability or to stop it. She was going to fall. _Well, I guess this is how it's going to end._

Sakura squeezed her eyes tight as the ladder eventually collapsed. She braced for impact but fell into something surprisingly soft and muscular. Someone had caught her. _Please be Itachi! Please be Itachi!_ Wearily Sakura opened her eyes and saw an impassive Sasuke holding her. He just stared at her.

"You shouldn't be up that high if you can't handle it." Sakura narrowed her eyes and pushed herself out of his arms.

"That's what you're going to say? No, 'are you okay?' or anything? You're such a jerk." Sasuke just looked at her and gave a "hn" then turned around and headed down the stairs. What was his problem? Why was he always such a cold jerk? _Tcha! We should go down there and punch him in the face! _We can't do that unless we want to get fired.

Sakura sighed and returned the ladder to the closet then made her way to her locker to change for school. Once changed she looked at the clock and realized that she had to book it to make it on time. She ran out the door and was stopped by Itachi. "Get in." She hopped in the car and he raced her to school.

"Thank you SO much Itachi! You are a lifesaver!" He smiled at her and then sped off to his own school. A few minutes later Sakura saw Sasuke and Karin pull up and walk into the school holding hands. So they were officially an item now. _They deserve each other!_ Rolling her eyes she made her way to her first class.

* * *

Since Wednesday was the only real night Sakura had to relax she had Ino, TenTen, and Hinata over. It had been too long since they had all been able to get together.

"Okay, okay. So did you guys hear that Sasuke is officially dating Karin?" Ino looked around at everyone excitedly as she painted her nails a dark purple. Sakura rolled her eyes.

"Ino, I didn't have to hear. I had to bring them breakfast in bed this morning." Sakura tried to growl at the memory but couldn't. She was scarred for life!

"What? They were in bed together?" Tenten looked up from painting her toenails with a surprised look on her face.

"No duh! She's the school slut!" Hinata laughed at Tenten.

"I want the details! What happened exactly?!" Ino was closer to Sakura on the bed with anticipation. She loved gossip and the fact that her best friend now worked in the most gossiped about house was perfect.

"Basically I brought them food and then we had to wash her uniform so I had to go find it and they were cuddling naked but the sheet wasn't covering her giant butt."

"Gross!" they yelled in unison.

"You really saw her naked butt? Are you scarred for life or what?!"

"What do you think Ino-Pig!" They all fell into laughter and continued like that for the rest of the time.


	3. Chapter 3

**Just Call Me Cinderella**

_Chapter Three_

* * *

**A/N:**

_This chapter is a little rough and short! Apologies! _

* * *

The rest of the first month of school went by fairly quickly. Sakura just went to school and worked. She always felt like she was exhausted but she knew that it was good. Her grades were still high and she still managed to see her friends. But it was now the first week of October and Sakura was nervous.

Today was her father's birthday.

Sakura woke up at six am and made her way to get dressed. Today she worked her normal seven to seven shift. Her mom had the weekend off and had headed to Sakura's grandparents. She didn't want to be alone in their house and Sakura understood that. Sakura quickly changed and headed out the door. She had grown to love the early morning walk to the Uchiha mansion where she could just relax and think about everything. But not today.

Today she walked as fast as she could. She didn't want to think. She didn't want herself to get caught up in what today was. She needed to work.

Soon she was upstairs and had already finished cleaning the bathrooms. Right now she was in the process of vacuuming the last room on the top floor. To be honest, because she had been so bent on getting to work and getting busy she was basically done and it was only ten o'clock in the morning. Sakura finished the room and then returned the vacuum to the closet.

Her phone started vibrating and she looked down to see it was her mom. She had time to take her break so she answered.

"Hey mom."

Her mom sniffled. "Hey honey. I know you're working today but I just wanted to tell you that I love you and that if you need anything today just ask me, okay?"

"Okay." Sakura tried to be emotionless but she could feel a little bit of the sadness she had been ignoring coming out.

"You're father recorded a message for you that I forgot to leave at home. So I'll play it for you now." Sakura waited nervous to hear what he had left her.

"Hey sweetheart! I just want to let you know that I love you and I hope you know how proud I am of you. I understand that school is hard but I want you to keep up on your studies. Make sure you keep perfecting that angelic voice of yours. I'll be looking down at you just so I can hear you sing. Also, I know I always said I didn't want you to date but sweetie, make sure you find a guy that will treat you like a princess and take care of you. You deserve only the best. I love you so much honey."

A few tears ran down Sakura's cheek but she kept her composure so she could speak to her mother. "Thank you so much mom. I love you."

"I love you too. Bye." Her mom hung up and Sakura stared down at her phone. Her background was of her and her dad at one of her choir concerts.

The dam finally broke.

Sakura's whole body convulsed with the power of her sobs. She couldn't stop no matter what. She wasn't sure she had ever cried this hard in the past. She had always tried to keep calm and composed. Only shedding a few tears. Unless she was alone or with her mom would she cry a little more. But now? Hearing his words, looking at his face, and knowing that it was his special day and she couldn't hold him or hug him was too much.

Sakura was still in the hallway of the mansion. She fell to the floor and held her knees as her sobs got worse and worse. She couldn't breathe but she didn't care. She had held all of her sadness, all of her hurt, and all of her missing him inside and now she was letting it out.

Gentle, strong arms wrapped around her and she dug her face into his chest. She could tell from the ponytail that it was Itachi that had found her. _Thank Goodness!_ She cried for ten more minutes with his arms around her. But eventually she stopped and sat up. She wiped her nose and her eyes and tried to focus on the person sitting in front of her.

"Saku, what's wrong?" The concern in his eyes and his voice were exactly like a brother and she needed that right now more than anything.

"Today's his birthday and I just. . . couldn't hold any of it back anymore." She could tell Itachi knew exactly who she was talking about. He put his hand under her chin and tilted her to look at him.

"You need to go home."

"No!" She had shouted with more force than she had planned but started crying again. "I need to work. I don't want to think about it. I can't go there and be alone there. It's not home anymore without him. Please." She looked up at him with tear filled eyes.

"Fine. You'll stay here but you're not going to work. I'll get it squared away with Mei. Come with me. I know the best place for you to relax." He held out his hand to her and stood up. She took it and he led her downstairs to a room next to the theater room. It was full of comfy couches but the one side of the wall was nothing but windows. They looked out into the gardens full of vegetation and there was a little lake behind their house. Sakura's eyes widened and she gasped. This was the most relaxing place she had ever been in. He was right.

Itachi smiled and told her to sit on the couch. "Is there anyone that you might want around to talk to or anything?"

"My best friend Ino."

"Okay." Itachi reached over and took Sakura's phone out of her pocket. "You rest here for a little while and I'll go call her. I'll get some tea ready for you as well." He stood up to leave but Sakura put her arms around him.

"Thank you Itachi. You're so good to me. You're like the brother I never had." He smiled.

"Maybe that's because you're like the little sister I never had." He patted her head and then left the room shutting the door behind him.

Sakura leaned into the couch and looked out over the expansive landscape. She watched birds fly and the breeze gently blow through the trees. Some of the windows were open so she too could feel the breeze. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. She missed her father so much. Crying like that had actually made her feel better. It also made her feel better to hear his voice again and to hear how proud he was of her. Would he still be proud of her if he knew that she was maid? She shook that thought from her head and instead thought back to all of their happy memories before the cancer took over.

* * *

_Ding Dong!_ Sasuke stood next to the door so he grabbed it before the butler could. He opened it a bit forcefully and was surprised to find Ino standing in front of him.

"Do we have a science project or something that I forgot about?" Ino laughed and he instantly calmed down. So that was a no. Then why was she here?

"No stupid. I'm here to see Sakura."

Sasuke's brows furrowed. "Sakura?"

Ino rolled her eyes. "Yeah, you know my best friend. The girl with the pink hair. She's a maid here." Sasuke just continued to look at her confused. "Anyway, Itachi called me so where is she?"

Sasuke looked lost. He literally had no idea who she was talking about and he definitely didn't know where Itachi was keeping her or why Ino had come to see her. Why was it that he had no idea what was happening in his own house?

"Ah, Ino! She's in the family room. Come with me." Itachi had surfaced out of nowhere and grabbed Ino and taken her off. Sasuke quietly followed. He wanted to know what was up. Itachi made small talk with Ino while they walked. Sasuke was busy trying to remember a pink haired maid. _Oh yeah!_ She's the dumb one I caught when she fell off that ladder. He smirked. Maybe Ino was here because she'd gotten injured.

Itachi opened the door and the pink haired girl turned to look. She immediately erupted in tears.

Oh sweetie. I know it hurts. I am so sorry that I didn't think to come see you sooner. But don't worry I'm here now and Hinata and Tenten said that they'll be by later too. What about your mom?" Ino was cooing as she wrapped her arms around the girl's shoulders. _What the crap is going on?_

"My mom went to my grandparents for the weekend. She won't be back until Monday." Ino kept rubbing the girl's back.

"Do you want me to stay over then?" The girl furiously shook her head.

"I can't be there this weekend it'll be too hard. Your house?" Ino sat up and looked apologetically at the girl.

"No can do my parents are having a business dinner. Hinata's parents are out of town, and Tenten's mom is sick. It has to be your place." Sakura looked let down and stared out the window.

"No, you guys can all just stay here." Both girls turned to look wide eyed at Itachi. Sasuke's usually emotionless face was shocked.

"Really? Oh Itachi! You seriously are the best!" Sakura leapt up and threw her arms around him. He started to laugh.

"I always wondered what it would be like to have a little sister having a sleepover and now I know." Sakura smiled and went back to sit with Ino and Itachi turned to make the proper preparations. Sasuke followed him staring questioningly.

"Before you ask brother, I think of her like a sister. I wouldn't expect you to understand but we've bonded. Anyway, today is her father's birthday and it's really hard on her so I thought why not let her stay the night? Mother adores her as well so I'm sure she'll be okay with it. She always wanted a girl in the house." He smiled and looked at Sasuke.

"Why is her father's birthday so hard for her?" He was a little miffed that this invisible girl and her annoying friends (who for some reason were his friends) were going to be staying the night.

"Because he died in August." Itachi answered matter of factly and headed up to his mother's room to discuss what had just happened. Sasuke was frozen to the spot he was standing on at the bottom of the stairs. He couldn't believe that he was heartless enough that he didn't know she was suffering. She just always smiled so he figured everything was okay.

"There you are! I've been looking everywhere for you!" Karin appeared and pulled Sasuke all the way to the movie room. They settled into a recliner together and she put in some chick flick called "The Last Song" that he really didn't pay attention to. Well, except the fact that the girl's dad died from cancer. Karin sobbed into his chest but all he could think about what the pink haired maid next door was doing.


	4. Chapter 4

**Just Call Me Cinderella**

_Chapter Four_

* * *

The four girls sat and laughed on the king size bed in the guest room that was right across from Itachi's room. Itachi had it set up that way so if they needed anything they could ask. Ino had planned on a sleepover and had brought all of her clothes plus makeover supplies, magazines, movies, and junk food. She was the queen of sleepovers.

They were all already in their pajamas. Ino was wearing short blue soffee shorts with a light blue tank top. Tenten was wearing lime green sweatpants that had been cut off just below the knee and a dark green t-shirt that had the sleeves cut off. Hinata was wearing light purple pajama pants with dark purple flowers all over them with a matching short sleeve dark purple top. Sakura who did not know she was going to be sleeping over was wearing brand new pajamas that Itachi had gotten her. They were a light pink babydoll top with matching pants. There were little cherries all over them and they were incredibly comfortable.

There was a knock on the door and Sakura beckoned the person to enter. It was Itachi.

"So, I have a date with Izumi tonight." Sakura freaked out and stood up.

"No way! Can we help you get ready? Please!" At this question the other girls stood up and gathered behind Sakura. They all had excited looks on their faces.

"Oh, why not?" Itachi smiled. He actually had planned to ask for help. He was nervous and excited and he knew that Sakura needed cheering up. He turned to lead the way to his room.

"Okay, first things first we need music." Tenten smiled and pulled out her phone. She located a speaker next to Itachi's bed and plugged it in. Instantly the room filled with music and the girls all started to sing and dance.

"Next we need details." Hinata forced Itachi to sit on the edge of the bed to tell her what the date entailed.

"Okay, we are going to dinner at a regular restaurant and then I'm taking her to see a musical that she really wanted to see."

"Alright, and now! Wardrobe!" Sakura sauntered into his closet and began looking through things while Ino went into the bathroom to peruse cologne, Hinata chatted with Itachi and Tenten as she brushed his hair. Ino emerged in a few minutes with a few different scents and began asking Itachi which he preferred.

The door to his room flew open. "Hey Itachi, we're all going to ride go-carts. Do you wan—" Sasuke stood in the doorway with Naruto. He stopped talking when he saw that Ino held up cologne for Itachi to smell and that Tenten sat next to him as Hinata brushed his hair. They didn't look surprised in the slightest but when Hinata saw Naruto her face turned pink.

"What's going on here?"

"Well you know they are staying the night so I thought I would ask them to help me get ready for my date tonight." Itachi smiled as he smelled the cologne and gave his opinion to Ino. There was a gorgeous singing voice coming from the closet and the boys turned to see who it was. Itachi smiled as he watched his brother's anticipation.

Sakura stepped out of the closet still singing with a black shirt in her hand. "Hey, Tachi I think you should wear this with just the jeans over there." She motioned to the pair that was on the floor by his bed. Ino nodded.

"Heck yeah he should! You're going to look so hot in that!" Itachi smiled and blushed a little.

Sakura finally turned to look at the door and realized that the two boys were staring at her. Sasuke had never really looked at her before now but she was so. . . cute. There was no other way to describe it. Her hair was still in the messy ponytail but the babydoll pajamas were just adorable on her. He smiled a little unconsciously.

"Oh, hey Naruto. What's up?" Naruto just looked at her and then at Sasuke who was still sort of smiling. Sakura followed his gaze. "What are you smiling at?"

He instantly stopped and got uncomfortable. "Uh, nothing. Anyway, we can see that you're busy. We'll be back later. The other guys might come over too." With that they turned around and shut the door. Itachi started laughing.

"Oh, Sakura, I think you just embarrassed my little brother. He was starting to think you were cute." Everyone started laughing. The fact that Sasuke had been flustered was so great.

The girls continued to help Itachi get ready until he looked perfect. He was starting to get really nervous but they kept giving him calm advice until he was out the door to get Izumi.

"And don't forget when you get home you have to find us and tell us everything! Right girls?" Everyone nodded excitedly. He left to get into his car and they headed down to the kitchen. Itachi had said something about pizza for them. They decided to watch a movie after that so they grabbed a few and dug into their pizza.

"I wish Sasuke was more like Itachi. He'd be so much more fun to hang out with." Tenten took a bite of her cheese pizza.

"No kidding. That was so much fun and he was so nervous! I bet Sasuke never gets like that anymore since he always just sleeps around." Ino sipped at her Coke.

"True, but at least the others guys aren't that bad." Hinata chewed quietly. Sakura just took everything in around her. It felt so good to be surrounded by friends today and she was glad that Itachi was being so generous to her. She couldn't imagine what she would be doing if she hadn't started working here.

"So, Hinata, anything happen with Naruto yet?" Ino poked Hinata in the side as she turned bright red.

"I wish! I don't think he thinks I like him. I just want him to ask me out on a date." She looked sadly down at her pizza.

"You know, we can help with that." Sakura gave a mischievous smile to the other girls and they all laughed.

They finished eating their pizza and were just lounging around the movie room trying to decide what to watch. Loud laughter filled the air and soon four boys walked in.

Sakura continued to lay on the floor in front of where Hinata and Tenten were sitting on the couch. Ino had Sakura's head in her lap and was playing with her hair. The boys continued to walk into the room not even noticing them. Soon, though, Naruto caught sight of them.

"HEY YOU'RE STILL HERE! WANNA HANG OUT WITH US?" He ran right up to them and plopped himself in-between Hinata and Tenten. Sakura, Ino, and Tenten burst out into laughter. Naruto was always the one who could make them laugh no matter what.

"I'm sure they have other things they want to do than hang out with you idiot." Sasuke walked up with Neji and Sai. He just stood there looking at all of them and trying not to look at Sakura. Why couldn't she still be invisible to him? Sai immediately sprawled out next to Sakura with his head in Ino's lap. He was on one leg with Sakura on the other.

"Uh, what the crap Sai?"

"It looked comfortable. You can play with my hair too." Sakura turned slightly to look at Ino who blushed. Sakura mouthed _oh my gosh_ and Ino mouthed _I freaking know right?_ Then she slowly put her fingers in his hair and began to play with it. Sakura looked at Tenten and Hinata who were returning her excitement for Ino.

Even if they had to hang out with the man slut jerkface Sasuke Uchiha at least some of them would be extremely happy. Neji sighed and sat next to Tenten. He was pretty close, since the couch wasn't that big, that their arms were touching. Tenten's cheeks turned a little pink.

"We actually were just going to watch a movie. You're welcome to join us." Sakura smiled sweetly up at Sasuke from her position in Ino's lap. He just "hn'd" and moved to sit a few seats away.

"I think a movie with you girls would be a lot of fun." Neji smiled at Tenten and she turned even redder. Sakura looked shocked for a minute. She hadn't realized that Tenten had a crush on Neji. She was losing her touch. Though she had been pretty busy recently and a little distracted with losing her father. She'd have to ask Tenten about it later.

"All right. I've been in the mood to watch Star Trek Beyond all freaking day so that's what we're watching." Sakura turned to look at everyone and they just nodded. Clearly not going to dispute when she was that commanding. Even Sasuke seemed a little taken back by her force. Ino smiled. Sakura's dad had loved Star Trek and this was the last one he saw before he died.

Sakura got up to put the movie in and then came back out after turning out the lights. Ino moved so she was now leaning against one of the open chairs and Sai was still on her lap. "I'm going to get some popcorn. Does anyone want anything?" Several people yelled for popcorn and everyone yelled for drinks. Sakura nodded and made her way to the kitchen.

If there was one thing she knew how to do in the Uchiha mansion it was get drinks and popcorn. It seemed like Sasuke couldn't watch a movie without it so she was always summoned to get them. She watched the popcorn in the old fashioned popcorn maker pop as she waited. There were two popcorn buckets that she was going to fill and then pass around. She grabbed a drink tray that they had specifically for this reason and proceeded to fit eight drinks of different varieties in there.

How was she going to carry all of this? Sakura shrugged and decided to get the drinks first and then come back for the popcorn. She entered into the movie room and found that Neji now had his arm around Tenten and Naruto was leaning his head on Hinata. It was so cute that everyone was so snuggled up together. Sasuke was reclined in the chair next to where Ino was sitting on the floor with his head on his hand. Apparently he felt like he should move closer to see the movie.

Sakura passed out all of the drinks and then made her way to the kitchen for the popcorn. She laughed at the fact that she was hanging out with her friends but she was still taking on the role of maid. The popcorn was finished and she walked in with the two buckets. She passed them around. With her eyes on the screen.

"Right on time Sakura! It's just starting!" Naruto smiled at her from Hinata's shoulder she turned her attention to see that they were now holding hands. Sakura looked around for a place to sit. Ino looked up and whispered to her.

"Sit by me forehead. I know you're going to need me." Sakura smiled down at her and managed to sit against the same chair and to the right. She was right in front of Sasuke since he was leaning on his hand.

The popcorn bucket finally made it to her and she decided to hold it hostage for a while. She giggled as Sai begged Ino to feed him some. Ino rolled her eyes but gave Sakura an excited expression as she complied. Sakura watched the movie and continued to eat her popcorn.

Suddenly a hand leaned down over her shoulder to grab some popcorn from the bowl in her lap. Sakura tried to sit still even though her nerves were going crazy. He had never been this close to her before on purpose. She may still have a little bit of her childhood crush.

Sasuke leaned forward and whispered into her ear. "Sorry. I got a little hungry." She tried not to sink into how nice it felt to have his breath on her ear. He continued to lean down and get some popcorn every so often. At one point he sat up and scooted a little forward. He gently put his hands on her shoulders and started to massage them.

Sakura wasn't sure what to do. He'd never even looked at her before and now he was touching her? What the crap? She looked over at Ino who was looking at her curiously. She shrugged her shoulders and mouthed _I've got nothing, sorry._ Sakura just decided to ignore him. Sasuke continued to massage her shoulders for a little bit and then stopped. Sakura turned to look at him for a minute.

He leaned down to her ear and whispered "I just thought that I should thank you for all of the good work you do." Sakura could feel his trademark smirk on her ear. What the heck was going on? Since when did he even care about her work? She figured it was because Itachi had told him about what was wrong with her and somewhere deep down in Sasuke he actually had a heart and felt bad. Sakura turned back to the movie and smiled at herself. _Well at least the hottest guy in school gave you a massage._

Sakura tried to calm down her inner self and focused on the movie. The part she knew she was going to lose it was coming up. She quickly leaned down to Ino's shoulder. Ino instinctively put her arm on her back and started to rub.

Sasuke watched the whole thing. He had no idea what he was doing. Why had he whispered in her ear like that multiple times? Why did he feel the urge to reach out and touch her? What was happening to him? Spock started talking about Ambassador Spock and he could hear Sakura start to sniffle. Clearly, this was hard for her when she thought about her dad. He watched Ino's hand gently rub Sakura's back and he instantly wished that he could the one comforting her. _What the crap?_

Everyone continued to watch the movie and when it ended Sakura got up to stretch and turn on the lights. Everyone was talking quietly to each other. Tenten and Neji were almost touching foreheads and Naruto had not moved from Hinata's shoulder so he was looking up at her as they talked. Sai had turned in Ino's lap so he could look straight up at her. Sakura could tell that everyone was chatting about the movie and she smiled. She loved seeing her friends all happy.

Sasuke was staring straight at her. She instantly felt a little uncomfortable. He had been acting weirdly all night. She turned to remove the movie and heard the door open.

"Itachi! You're back! We want all of the details!" Ino yelled so loudly that Sai was groaning that he had lost his hearing.

"Ha ha, okay. Well I'm going to shower first and then I'll meet you upstairs in your room." He smiled and then left. Ino, Tenten, and Hinata instantly shot up much to the dismay of their guy friends. They wanted to hear everything. Sakura had somehow gotten them all invested in Itachi's relationship like she was.

"Hey, Sakura, can you put in Super Smash? Thanks!" Naruto had already recovered from being thrown on the ground from Hinata's standing up and was pulling out a few controllers from a shelf.

"No problem." Sakura inserted the disk and switched the system over so they could play. She turned around and smiled at everyone. "Well goodnight guys! I suppose we might see you tomorrow. But sleep well." Sakura began to walk toward the door. She heard Sasuke mutter a 'goodnight' but she chose to ignore it.

* * *

The next day the girls woke up, got dressed, and headed downstairs for some pancakes. Itachi joined them and he still had a smile on his face. His date had gone extremely well and he had even kissed her on the cheek. They were going to go out in a couple of days and he was really excited. They ate and chatted happily. It was around ten o'clock and the girls had decided that they had probably over stayed their welcome and needed to head out.

"Itachi, it's time! Oh, and girls, you can't leave yet. Not until we are done!" Mikoto popped her head into the kitchen and then was instantly gone. The girls all looked at Itachi confused. He smiled and motioned them to follow him to the ballroom.

"On Sunday mornings my mother insists that we have a little time for music. She likes it because it's peaceful. Usually I play a piece on the piano and so does Sasuke. Sometimes we sing. It just depends." Sakura, Ino, Tenten, and Hinata entered the ballroom and saw that there was a grand piano surrounded by several small couches and chairs. There was also an phone docking station.

They all entered the room and noticed that Mr. and Mrs. Uchiha, Sasuke, Naruto, Neji, and Sai were already all sitting down. There was also Karin, Sasuke's slutty girlfriend hanging on his arm. "Hey, Hinata! Over here!" Naruto switched his position from sitting next to Sai to a couch that was previously empty. Hinata turned bright red and then made her way over.

Sakura and Itachi followed to sit next to them. Ino walked over and sat next to Sai who smiled in his weird fake way and Tenten made her way to where Neji was sitting in a chair and took the chair next to him. He smirked as she sat down.

"All right. Let's start with the oldest."

Itachi nodded and made his way to the piano. His long fingers gently grazed the keys. He was a master. Sakura leaned forward a little. She always loved music, especially the piano, and she always joked that the man she married would have to be a pianist. It kind of had to do with the fact that she loved to sing but also because she loved the sound of the black and white keys.

He finished after a few minutes and everyone clapped. Mikoto's face beamed; obviously proud of her son's fine skills. Sakura gave Itachi numerous compliments as Mikoto called Sasuke forth. He sat down and again the music flowed beautifully from his fingers. Sakura hardly blinked. He was almost better than his brother. She was mesmerized. Itachi looked at Sakura's face and smirked. He knew that she was slowly falling in love with his brother and that was totally okay with him.

Sasuke finished and everyone clapped as Karin jumped up and practically attacked him. He was a little embarrassed but didn't show it. Sakura felt so uncomfortable with Karin's clinginess and could tell that everyone else felt the same.

"All right, why don't we have one of our guests perform?" Mikoto looked around. Karin immediately smiled and sat a little straighter hoping to get called on. "Sakura, I hear that you are a wonderful singer." Sakura's face erupted in pink and she turned to look at Mikoto. "Ino and Tenten were telling me all about how you are amazing. I'd love to hear it. Do you have anything prepared?"

Sakura stood up and headed toward the phone jack and plugged in her phone as she searched for the right song and talked at the same time. "Actually, I do. When my dad was diagnosed with cancer I decided that for his birthday I would make him a CD of all of his most favorite songs that I would sing. He was always my biggest supporter. You can ask Ino, I practiced these songs everyday so they were perfect. I never got to make him a CD but I think it's fitting that I perform his favorite the day after his birthday."

Sakura looked at everyone around her and noticed that they were all listening to her intently. Sai's falseness was gone and Naruto wasn't fidgeting at all. She pressed play and waited for the song to start. She closed her eyes as the words began to come out. She was singing "Sympathy, Tenderness/ Someone Like you" from Jekyll and Hyde.

Every emotion that she had was put into this song. Sakura was sure that this was one of the reasons her dad loved this song. She always felt every word. This was all about love that was unrequited and hoped for. Honestly, when she first discovered this musical it was around the time that Sasuke had told her she was annoying and then he forgot all about her.

How fitting he could hear how she had felt after that.

She opened her eyes and the song switched to the more belty and dynamic "Someone Like You". Sakura used her arms and let her voice fly. She could see tears streaming down Ino and Hinata's cheeks. Mikoto was also rubbing her cheeks. Itachi was staring wide eyed and Karin looked more annoyed than before. The song soon ended and Sakura took a little bow. Everyone stood up and clapped except for Sasuke who was staring at the floor and Karin who was pouting.

Sakura felt like a movie star.

"I had no idea you were that talented. Oh my goodness!" Mikoto hugged her and Sakura was startled. Did her boss really just hug her? Mikoto decided that they would end with Sakura's performance and told the girls they could stay as long as they like. Sakura, however, felt like she had over stayed her welcome so the four of them headed to Sakura's for the rest of the day.


	5. Chapter 5

**Just Call Me Cinderella**

_Chapter Five_

* * *

Monday rolled around and Sakura was grateful that she had made it through the weekend and that now she could focus on school and work. She sat at her normal table and was soon accompanied by Tenten and Ino.

"What a great weekend that ended up being. I'd say one of our best sleepovers yet." Ino took a drink from the juice in front of her before digging into her pizza.

"No kidding! We were in a freaking palace and we got to cuddle some cute boys." Tenten's eyes were twinkling as Neji, Naruto, and Hinata sat down.

"Speak for yourself. All I got was an awkward shoulder rub from someone who didn't remember I existed until Saturday." Sakura grumbled as she took a bite of her sandwich and realized that she had grabbed her mom's instead. It wasn't all that different except it had tomatoes on it and she wasn't in the mood. "Does anyone want these?" Sakura pulled them out and looked at everyone who shook their heads.

"He probably does. They're his favorite."

Sakura turned to see who Naruto was pointing at and almost jumped when she recognized Sasuke sitting next to Sai at the end of the table. When did they get here and since when did Sasuke sit with them?

"Oh, Sasuke, do you want my tomatoes?"

"Hn." He stretched out his tray for her to place them on and then went back to eating his food. What an odd duck he was.

"Guys, I've decided something. We should all hang out more. I had a great time this weekend and I know everyone agrees." Ino looked like she was holding court as she made her statement. There were nods of agreement and a 'heck yeah' from Naruto. Sakura giggled as she watched everyone.

"Fine Ino-pig but you know I can't really hang out except on Wednesday nights and Saturday nights after seven. That is unless you want to watch me clean the Uchiha mansion. Which I'm sure grumpy over there would not appreciate." Sakura motioned to Sasuke who looked up for half a second from his food.

"I really wouldn't mind all that much."

Everyone stared at him for a few seconds. Had he really just said that? Not only was he speaking but he was also saying he'd be okay with hanging out with these girls that were not really on the top of the school food chain.

"Well, okay, who drugged the Prince this morning? Sakura, we can work around your schedule." Tenten elbowed her as she turned to Neji who was asking a question about their science assignment. The bell rang and everyone grudgingly made their way back to their classes.

Sakura had her history class with Kakashi next and so did Ino, Sai, and Sasuke. Ino went on ahead to catch up to Sai as Sakura trailed behind a little.

"Can I walk with you?" Sakura almost froze in the middle of the hallway but didn't. She still had her dignity.

"I'm sorry what?"

"Can I walk with you to class? You're in my history class right?" Sasuke stared straight ahead as he kept pace with her.

"Uh. . . yeah. . . I just. . . how do I put this? I've been invisible to you since freshman year and I find it a little impossible that overnight you've noticed me."

"I admit, I was a little oblivious but we have the same friends and I was bound to notice you at some point. Plus, I feel bad that I had no idea you were dealing with something so hard."

"Ah, that's it then." Sakura turned her gaze from him to Ino and Sai in front of her. He only really noticed because he felt guilty. Guilty that his brother saw her hurting and he had no knowledge that anything had even happened to her. She hadn't left any sort of impression on him at all. No, in fact, all he knew was that her father died and she needed pity. Suddenly, Sakura's stomach felt sick. She didn't need pity. Especially not from a stuck up brat like him.

"Well thanks for walking with me. I hope I didn't take too much time from your make-out schedule." Sakura sneered at him as she entered the room and practically ran to her seat. Sasuke was shocked but hid it well. What just happened? Did he say something wrong? Girls never ran away from him.

* * *

The rest of school proceeded without any incidents with the youngest Uchiha and Sakura could not be more grateful. She made her way out the doors with Ino. Ino was giving her a ride to work today.

"He really said that? He really said that you suddenly weren't invisible because he felt pity for you? Dang, that's almost worse." Ino grimaced as she pulled up to the mansion. "Well, let me know if you manage to do any harm to him and say hi to Itachi for me!" With that Ino sped away and Sakura made her way inside to work.

It only took five minutes before she was ambushed by Mikoto. "Sakura, dear, Sasuke is studying for his history test and he said he needed someone to quiz him. Can you be a dear and do that? Thanks a million. Tell him I'm sorry but I have an urgent meeting." Mikoto waved as she headed to the garage. _Great. I have to quiz him._

Sakura grudgingly headed up the stairs after informing Mei that she was to be helping him study. She paused at his door, took a deep breath, and then knocked twice. "Come in."

Sakura bowed a little. "Your mother said you needed someone to quiz you?" He looked up at her from his couch.

"Where is she?"

"She said she had an urgent meeting and that she's sorry."

"Figures." There was a pause as he looked down to the book in his lap and the flashcards in his hand. "Well, at least you're actually in my class so this shouldn't be too bad. Come here."

He moved over a little and motioned for her to sit on the couch. She complied and made sure to sit ladylike so he wouldn't get any unsavory views. "All right, hand me the cards and close the book. You ready?" He nodded.

Slowly Sakura read through each card waiting for him to answer. When he would get a little hung up or falter she would give him clues. She even gave him helpful hints about ways he could remember some of the harder portions. Sakura was one of the smartest people in the class even if she was quiet. History came like a no brainer to her most of the time. Actually, studying with him was helping her retain the information better and it was a _little_ fun.

"Ugh, I need to take a break." Sasuke leaned his head against the back of the couch and closed his eyes. "You know, you're really smart."

"Thanks." Sakura didn't know what else to say. She was just supposed to help him study and then get back to work. They had already been studying for an hour and a half. She was pretty behind. "Well, if you're tired I can get back to work." She stood up but Sasuke grabbed her wrist.

"I really don't want you to go, but, thank you." He opened his eyes and held her gaze for a few seconds before he let go. There was a slight blush on her cheeks. _Yeah right! All he meant was that he wanted more help._ Sakura nodded and headed out the door just as Karin bounded in.

"OHHH my Sasukins! I've missed you so much. Good thing that tramp is leaving." She slammed the door in Sakura's face and she could hear a few words from Sasuke before he was cut off. Sakura rolled her eyes and made her way to the cleaning closet.

"Better late than never." She grumbled as she opened the door.

"Ah! Sakura, glad to see you're feeling better." Itachi was just opening his door and was smiling the biggest smile she had ever seen.

"Thank you, and you look happy. Good day with Izumi?" He smiled bigger. If that was even possible.

"The best." Sakura laughed as he went into his room and started cleaning. Because of the study session Sakura spent the rest of the time furiously cleaning the bathrooms. Sasuke and Karin were, ahem, busy and she was told to just skip his room for now. Fine by her. At eight fifteen she finally finished and headed home.

There was a note from her mom saying that she hoped everything was going well and wished her luck at school and at work. Sakura smiled and left a little reply. Then she showered and did a small amount of homework before crashing.

* * *

At the Uchiha mansion Sasuke sat on his couch eating dinner. It was cold from him being too busy when it arrived but it still tasted good. He was just wearing his boxers as he stared at the sleeping girl in his bed. What was he doing? He didn't feel anything with Karin. She was just a pretty face and a good time. Everyone thought they would eventually get together because if he was The King of the school she was certainly the Queen.

But he thought she was actually a terrible person. Sure, he was aloof and mysterious and constantly rude to everyone, especially his best friend, but Karin was a whole different thing. She liked people to feel small. Something about it made her feel better. She knew she was wealthy and hot and she used that to her advantage. She was nothing like someone he actually wanted to date.

Sasuke took another bite of his food and shifted his gaze to the ceiling. His mother had asked all about Itachi's new love interest at Sunday dinner and Sasuke couldn't help but be jealous. Jealous of the way that Itachi's whole face seemed to light up when he spoke of her. Jealous of the way this girl seemed to be everything to him. Jealous of the way that even though Itachi was attracted to her he still respected her and took it slow.

Sasuke wanted that. As much as he didn't want to admit that he had feelings that ran deep he really did. He wanted to get butterflies when a girl smiled at him or when she accidentally touched his arm. He wanted to feel like there was no one better in the world. He wanted to have someone next to him to really listen to his thoughts and ideas. Not some girl that just wanted one wild night or two.

He wanted someone. . . someone like Sakura. Sasuke's thoughts shifted to studying with her. She was so sweet to him even though they never talked. He could tell she was unwilling to help him but once she was comfortable she was so accommodating. Not to mention really pretty. With her oddly colored pink hair and her bright green eyes that were so large she almost looked like a Disney princess.

She also had a heart. Something that most of the girls he dated didn't. Sakura genuinely cared about lots of things. She invested time in Itachi's relationship, in her friend's lives, and anyone around her. Sakura was just genuinely a good person. Sasuke shook his head and stood up to crawl into bed. She would never want to date someone like him. That was a fact. She was cold to him at school today and honestly he deserved it. Why had it taken him so many years to truly see her?


	6. Chapter 6

**Just Call Me Cinderella **

_Chapter Six_

* * *

Sakura mindlessly doodled in the margin of her language notes. It was her one night off and all the girls had piled into her house along with Naruto to study. It was quiet and honestly Sakura was happy that they wanted to see her but she was just not feeling studious.

Sasuke had started acting differently toward her. Less like a jerk and more like a real person. Ever since that night she helped him study for his test. She couldn't help but wonder what had made his attitude shift so much. He had always been a jerk and it had gotten even worse since he started high school.

"Earth to Sakura!" Sakura jumped as a pillow hit her in the face.

"What the heck?" She turned around angrily to see Tenten and Ino giving her questioning looks.

"We've just been trying to figure out this question and we were hoping you knew the answer but you seem out of it."

"You okay Sakura?" Naruto leaned forward from his position on the floor across from her.

"Yeah, I'm just tired. I've been working a lot so my mind is just not really up for studying right now."

Ino nodded. "We understand. We'll finish reviewing and you can listen if you want then we'll get out of your hair."

Ino beamed at her and Sakura smiled in return. She really had the best friends in the world and was so lucky to have support group like them. She re-situated in her seat and leaned on her arm as she watched Tenten and Ino read through their review.

* * *

"Tell me again what the next step is." Itachi looked at Sakura with concern in his eyes and leaned against the wall.

"The next step is I don't know, making it official? Telling her you love her?" Sakura furrowed her eyebrows as she crossed her arms and looked at him in the eye. They were in the garden room she had sat in to feel better a few weeks ago.

"No, I meant like how do I get to that next step." Itachi fidgeted and Sakura fought a smile at his uncomfortable demeanor. "What I mean is how do I make it special? We're already officially together but I'm not the most romantic guy in the world. I just need some help with this step."

Sakura sank into the couch and looked out the window at twilight setting in. She thought about it for a few minutes. How to be romantic? She had no freaking clue. She had never dated anyone before and even the guys that she liked were not really romantics. When she used to dream about going on dates with them her dreams were all tailored to her fantasies. She had no idea what Izumi liked.

"What is she like?" Sakura jumped as Sasuke entered the room and asked the exact question that she was about to.

Itachi turned wide eyed to look at his brother. Sasuke sauntered into the room and took an empty seat. "You want to help me?"

Sasuke nodded. "Sure. You are my brother you know."

Itachi turned and made eye contact with Sakura then took the seat next to her on the couch. Sakura watched Sasuke as he just started lazily at Itachi. "Um, I should probably go work on the upstairs."

"Absolutely not." The brothers spoke in unison and Sakura immediately shrank into the couch. Sasuke flushed ever so slightly as Itachi smirked.

"All right. To answer your question Izumi is caring. She wants to always help everyone that she can. Especially those that are hurt or less fortunate than herself. She is insanely funny. She loves the color purple and she's really smart."

"I see." Sasuke sat forward so his elbows were perched on his knees with his fingers threaded under his nose.

The room was silent except for the birds chirruping outside. Sakura studied the two brothers. From what she understood Itachi was a very nice guy. He obviously had a bad reputation for being a philandering rich boy but after she got to know him she realized that he was actually sweet and cared a lot about his family. Was it possible that Sasuke was the same way?

Sakura shook her head and practically collapsed into the comfy back of the chair. Itachi snickered at her and he tried not to notice. There was no way that the brothers were anything alike. Itachi was like a prince and Sasuke was just a beast.

"I think for someone like Izumi romance is found in connection with the person."

"Go on." Itachi sat a little straighter and a ghost of a smile played at his lips. Sakura had never seen him so happy to be talking with her brother. It was possible that he loved his brother very much and was relishing in the opportunity to bond with him.

"I think you should take her on a walk down the river front. It'll be chilly since it's slowly climbing through November so twilight would be a good time. It'll give the two of you an excuse to get closer to one another. She also seems like the type to enjoy fairy lights and I know that there are some down there wrapped in the trees."

Sakura's mouth fell open. She could perfectly imagine a scene of her walking down the water front with someone she was interested in. The wind would blow and she would shiver a bit. Causing him to put his jacket around her and then his arm. As they turned the bend the two of them would see hundreds of small twinkling lights illuminating the trees and the water beautifully. Her imaginary man morphed into a tall, pale man with striking features and black hair that stuck up in every way.

Sakura closed her eyes tight and willed the image away.

"That sounds perfect. How did you come up with something like that?" Itachi's somewhat snarky tone that he usually had around Sasuke vanished and he was in awe of his brother.

Sasuke shrugged. "Honestly, I'm kind of a romantic. I think if you really love someone just spending time with them is the best way to be with them. And i knew the lights were down there because Naruto strung them all up for his parents anniversary and was too lazy to take them down."

Sakura snorted at that. She had totally forgotten that at the beginning of the summer Naruto was tasked with creating a beautiful fairyland for his parents but it had been so much work he decided to gift it to the city. It really had increased the appeal of the river these days but she couldn't help but laugh at her best friend.

"Well I thank you. I think that Izumi will absolutely love it." Itachi smiled at Sasuke who nodded and very discreetly looked over in Sakura's direction. Itachi's smile morphed into a smirk and a plan was taking form in his mind.

"If it was you courting a woman little brother what would you do?"

Sasuke turned to his brother with confusion in his face. "I am courting a woman."

"Yes, yes, I know you are dating Karin but if you were dating someone new what would you do?"

Sasuke's gaze dropped from Itachi and very slowly raised to Sakura who was watching the scene curiously. What would he do if he was dating someone?

"I think to tell her that I was interested I would dance with her. I don't dance so it would be a total surprise but I would incorporate what I was trying to say through the dance. Words are hard for me." Sasuke dropped his eyes to the floor as the slightest blush dusted his cheeks.

"Could I get a demonstration or something? I'm afraid I'm not following what you're getting at."

Sakura turned to look at Itachi. What was he doing? Saying that would make Sasuke use her to demonstrate his point and that was going to be unbelievably awkward. Sasuke cleared he throat and stood up.

"Okay."

He moved forward slowly and reached out his hand toward Sakura. Her heart was pounding in her chest as it loomed in front of her. Was this really happening? Was Sasuke really asking to touch her willingly? Her? The maid of his household? The girl he had forgotten existed for the last three years?

"Sakura will you please help me out?"

Sasuke looked as nervous as she felt and she shakily placed her hand in his and he lightly pulled her up. Itachi relaxed back into the couch and folded his arms as Sasuke swung Sakura around and gently placed his hand on her waist.

Her heart sped up and she felt a little light headed. Sure, she hadn't crushed on Sasuke in years but he was still one of the most handsome men she had ever seen. Not to mention that after their study session she was starting to see him in a different light.

"First we would dance slowly." Sasuke started swaying back and forth. His eyes never left Sakura's and she was sure to fall into the inky depths.

"Then I would pull her closer." He did just that and Sakura could suddenly smell an overwhelmingly woody scent.

"Next I would change the positioning of our arms." He then took her hands and moved them so they would be wrapped gently around his neck. When he finished he gently grasped her waist and pulled her even closer.

Sakura's heart was reaching dangerous heights. Sasuke's scent and proximity were making her dizzy and she was very aware of the fact that Itachi was watching every second of this little play.

"Finally I would kiss her head," Sasuke did just that in excruciatingly slow motion and as he pulled back he finished speaking. "and tell her that she is mine."

Sakura let out a shuddering breath as Sasuke just stared at her and the two of them continued to sway.

"I must say you are a romantic." Sakura jumped and ripped herself ungracefully from Sasuke. Itachi beamed at them from the couch. She blushed and tried to cover it by brushing off her skirt. Sasuke seemed unbothered and sank back into his chair.

"If that is all I really do need to finish cleaning upstairs." Sakura bowed and ran out the door before either of them could tell her otherwise. Her cheeks continued to burn for the rest of her shift and by the time she was home she couldn't stop replaying the moments with Sasuke over and over in her mind.

* * *

Sakura vigorously scrubbed the bathtub in the Uchiha main suit. Mikoto had used a new bath bomb she found online and it had turned the entire thing a weird shade of turquoise. Sakura had been given a strong cleaner and told it was her main priority.

The house was quiet tonight. Itachi was studying somewhere else besides his bedroom for once and Sasuke was out with Naruto and Sai weirdly enough. Apparently there was some school project Naruto need them for. Sakura could only imagine what that could mean. Naruto did some weird projects.

She scrubbed and scrubbed for forty five minutes and only half of the tub was a normal color. Sakura sighed and decided that she needed a new sponge. The one she was currently using was basically lint now. She dropped the old one into the trash bag on her small caddy and made her way to the supply closet.

She wiped her head with the back of her hand and took a few deep breaths. It felt good to get a small break. Sakura stretched and popped a few of her sore joints. She heard voices talking quietly in front of her and she decided not to disturb them. She moved slower and kept as quiet as possible until she could discern who it was.

It was another one of the rules she had to follow. She was not allowed to interrupt the Uchihas for any reason. If there was some sort of a fight or intense discussion she was to walk the other way. Sakura tried not to huff at the stupidity of it all. She was a maid for crying out loud. She was there to work not learn family gossip. Nevertheless she approached the voices as quiet as a mouse.

"I mean who does she really think she is?" A shrill whisper cut through the silence and Sakura took a few more steps forward. She knew the voice but couldn't place it yet.

"A slut that's who. There's no way she is as innocent as she claims to be." Sakura finally realized who was talking. It was Kimiko the mousy brunette maid that always had a sneer on her face and Daisy a redhead who she had honestly never spoken to.

Sakura figured she was close enough that she could turn around but her interest was peaked. Who were they talking about? An Uchiha? One of the maids?

"Yeah Sakura's a little slut."

Sakura stopped dead in her tracks. Her heart pumped faster and quickly she slid into the dark doorway of Itachi's room. They couldn't see her and she kept as still and quiet as humanly possible. They thought she was a slut? Why? What had she done?

"Seriously. First she somehow manages to get on Itachi's good side. Did you hear about the way he asked for her specifically the other day I was standing right there for crying out loud." Daisy's voice raised ever so slightly. Sakura clenched her fist.

"Yeah and that crap about her dad? Yeah right! It was just an excuse she she could stay the night with her stupid friends."

Sakura tried to fight back the angry tears that were flooding her vision but she was loosing. How dare they bring her dad into this. It was taking all of her energy not to reveal herself and say something snotty. She knew it was going to get back to Mei and she would be out of a job. She needed this job. Sakura took a steadying breath.

"Tell me about it. We were at Itachi's beck and call all freaking night and it was all for her."

"And she had to be friends with that stupid Yamanaka. I used to go to the same high school as them and she was the loudest, most obnoxious boy crazy whore I've ever seen. It's no wonder everyone thought she was sleeping around with Asuma sensei."

Daisy laughed shrilly at Kimiko's nasty words. Sakura could not believe the lies she was hearing. Sure, Ino was a little that way but for the most part she was a good person who tried her hardest and looked out for her friends. And that crap about Asuma was just that, crap. He was a family friend.

"Did you see what happened yesterday?" Kimiko asked in a way that made it seem like she had discovered the lost city of Atlantis.

"No, what?" Daisy shut the supply closet.

"She was alone with both Itachi and Sasuke in the garden room and when I peeked in Sasuke was kissing her on the head!"

"NO! We need to say something to Mei."

"Not yet. All in good time."

There was shrill laughter and then the all sound faded as the two of them descended down the stairs. Sakura had managed to stay quiet that whole time but she knew that eventually she would explode. She always did.

Sakura stomped to the supply closet and grabbed a sponge as quickly as possible and moved to the bathtub once again. She scrubbed and scrubbed until her hands were raw and red. Tears fell down her face in great rivulets but she ignored them.

How could they think those things about her? Everything that was happening was completely pure and innocent. She wasn't here to win over the boys. She was here to make sure that her and her mom could still have a decent living and that maybe she could have a small amount of money for college.

Sakura's hand slipped and her elbow came down hard on the porcelain of the tub. She let out a strangled cry and instead of wallowing in the pain she turned on the tap and rinsed the tub. The turquoise swirled and ran down the drain leaving a perfectly white surface behind it. Sakura watched as the bubbles receded before wiping her face and making her way downstairs to her locker.

Her shift had ended thirty minutes ago but she couldn't finish the tub in time. She wasn't sure if she got paid for the overtime hours but she didn't care. She had done her job the way she was supposed to and she was sure that everything was clean. Sakura dropped her caddy in her locker and half waved for her time card before heading out into the darkness.


	7. Chapter 7

**Just Call Me Cinderella**

_Chapter Seven_

* * *

Sasuke Uchiha threw three parties a year. One for his birthday in the middle of the summer, one in the spring when everyone was needing a release from school work, and one whenever he felt that he needed to have one.

He did this for mainly one reason. He wanted everyone to remember that he was THE Sasuke Uchiha. The most popular guy at Konoha High. It was something that he had decided to do after middle school. He invited everyone in the school with the exception of a few people and they basically just danced all night long.

Tonight was one of those nights.

Sakura groaned. She had come straight from school to work since it was the night of the Uchiha bash. She didn't want to go to work tonight but she always worked on Fridays. She was just upset that it was going to take so long tonight. Since she was a regular worker on Fridays she had to stay to serve as a waitress for the party. That meant that she would not be going home tonight and would probably have to sleep in the maid's quarters.

Her normal Friday jobs had been given to a temporary maid for that weekend and she was going to be assigned one of the bedrooms to clean. Every room needed to be spotless in case someone needed privacy. Sakura shuttered at the thought. How Sasuke got away with this kind of party under his father's roof she never understood. But then again his parents were always out of town when it happened so maybe they were just ignoring that they even happened.

Mei entered the room with the list for who would be cleaning what room. She prayed that she would not get Sasuke's. She had been very uncomfortable around him after he had danced with her in front of Itachi. Her mind kept replaying the moment over and over. She had tried her best to stop thinking about it but whenever she saw him it would come up. He was so annoying. Sakura smirked using the same term her had used for her a few years ago. She really needed to get a grip on her emotions. She was here to work, nothing else.

"Sakura, you have been assigned Master Sasuke's room." Sakura groaned as Mei pulled her out of her thoughts and nodded. Someone definitely thought this would be a funny joke. Her mind was already swirling. She definitely did not need to clean his room where she would think about him even more.

Sakura knocked the normal times and heard nothing so she entered. She had been told that she could listen to music if she wanted sometimes so she put her earphones in and turned up her music just loud enough to drown out her own thoughts but not loud enough to drown out her bosses. Sakura figured there was no better time for a music distraction than cleaning Sasuke's room. Her playlist rang in her ears as she started with the bathroom since it was the hardest job. After that she moved to pick up his laundry and other random objects scattered around the room, and ended with organizing the closet.

There was a loud bang and she peered around the closet but didn't see anything. _That was odd. I must have imagined it because my music is too loud._ Sakura shrugged and continued with her task but what she failed to realize was that Karin had just thrown Sasuke against the outside of the door and had started violently making out with him. Sakura grabbed Sasuke's hamper and began tossing the pile of clothes she had collected earlier into it.

The door flew open and Karin and Sasuke were making out practically on top of her. Neither of them had noticed she was even in the room. Sakura couldn't hear them really but she decided to turn her music down more in case they said anything to her. Sakura had been instructed that if something like this happened to just ignore it and leave as soon as possible. She continued throwing clothes into the hamper at a faster pace.

Sasuke pulled away and put his arms on Karin's shoulders to stop her. "Karin, we can do this later. We need to get ready for tonight."

Karin huffed and folded her arms across her chest. "What is she doing here?"

Sakura assumed that Karin pointed at her.

"She's cleaning my room obviously." Karin looked at him a little wary.

"Are you sure she's not waiting for you so she can sleep with you?" Sasuke stopped at the mouth of the closet and opened his mouth to answer but Sakura was faster.

"I'm not a slut like you. Have a nice day." Sakura smiled sweetly and then made her way out of the room with the hamper in her hand. She needed to get ready as well. She hadn't realized how long she had been cleaning for. She bumped into someone and began profusely apologizing.

"Are you sure you're not a slut too?" Sakura looked up into the eyes of Kimiko. She was already dressed in her uniform for the night. Sakura searched for the right words but Kimiko seemed to already have something prepared. "Mei is looking for you. She wants to give you your assignment for tonight."

"Thank you."

Kimiko didn't acknowledge her and made her way down the stairs. Sakura straightened her shoulders and followed her.

* * *

Sakura grumbled as she took one last look in the mirror of the maid's quarters. Apparently if the maids were working the party they were supposed to wear a different uniform. Sasuke picked a different uniform for every party. He didn't want his maids to look like maids. He wanted them to blend in a little.

Sakura had hoped she would not have to wear what the other maids were wearing. Kimiko had seemed annoyed that Sakura was given the same dress instead of told to work behind the scenes. The minute Mei gave her the assignment to work at the party as a server Kimiko began whispering to Daisy. Sakura pretended not to notice but her skin was buzzing.

The uniform for this party consisted of a skin tight, long sleeve v-neck black dress that came to the knees. Sakura's name tag was attached to the dress and she was wearing tall black heels. Her hair was also required to be curled. It was a little ridiculous they had to go to all this trouble for a stupid party but Sakura had to admit that she looked pretty good. Since it was her first ever Uchiha party-since she'd never been invited before-she was at least happy that she looked good. Even if she couldn't dance with her friends.

She took one last look at herself in the mirror and placed a few of her hair strands so her hair didn't look quite so crazy. Sakura had read the list of maids working tonight and was relived to find that Kimiko and Daisy were both assigned to other parts of the party. Honestly, she had never really cared about who she was working with but after hearing what they thought of her the other day she had been more paranoid and they seemed to spring up out of nowhere and ambush her constantly. She took a deep breath and turned down the hallway.

Sakura made her way to the main room where the music was already loudly playing and people were constantly coming in to join the fun. Sakura picked up a tray of drinks and made her way into the group of people. Soon someone tapped her shoulder and she turned to offer what was on her tray.

Ino smiled brightly at her with Hinata and Tenten. Ino was wearing a dress the same color blue as her eyes that was sleeveless. Tenten was wearing maroon skinny jeans and a cream colored long sleeve shirt. She looked so cute and comfortable and Sakura was a little envious. Hinata was wearing a flowy light purple dress. They all looked so great.

"You all look wonderful! Are you having fun?" Sakura figured a few minutes of chatting wouldn't get her in trouble. After all, everyone in the house knew that these were her classmates.

"Yeah, but we wish you could dance with us. Since this is the first time you've ever been able to come and all." Ino smiled brightly at her and yelled over the music.

"Well since I'm working it shouldn't be any different this year then." Sakura tried to smile but ended up making some sort of weird face.

"Except that every year we wish you were here to dance with us and this year you are and you can't dance with us. It's almost worse." Tenten cooed as she held onto Sakura's arm. Some guys walked by and grabbed a few drinks off her tray. There were several whistles and catcalls in her direction as they left.

Ino giggled at them. "We'll talk to Sasuke and see what we can do." There was a mischievous glint in her eye as she grabbed Tenten and Hinata. They both smiled at Sakura as they were pulled into the crowd. Sakura rolled her eyes and headed back to work.

* * *

Sasuke made his grand entrance at every party right at ten o'clock. He wanted to make sure that everyone was already having a good time so he wouldn't have to deal with any awkwardness. He was dressed in dark jeans with a white button down shirt. Nothing too fancy but it seemed that all of the girls loved it from their various swooning expressions and unblinking stares. He walked down the staircase with Karin on his arm. She was wearing a dark blue, skin tight, sleeveless dress. She looked absolutely gorgeous and he could tell that everyone below them was jealous. He tried to hide his sigh of slight disgust but Karin noticed and her grip on his arm got tighter. They made their way down the stairs with him smirking and Karin smiling like she just one a beauty pageant.

He looked around at the crowd and saw some people that were too preoccupied with their dance partners to see his and Karin's big entrance but he didn't care. His eyes eventually rested on a pink head. He looked her up and down as he got closer. His pulse quickened as he remembered what he had been thinking the other night. How he had thought about how genuine she was compared to Karin. And how he had acted on complete impulse while trying to help out Itachi. Had he actually danced with her and kissed her on the head?

Sakura's back was facing him but he couldn't help but keep staring at her. He looked her up and down once more. She had a rocking body. Lightly toned, probably from some sport she played that he didn't know, and small curves that for some reason were calling to him. Slowly, she turned around to offer drinks to someone behind her. Sasuke faltered on the bottom step for a minute. Sakura was absolutely gorgeous. Completely breathtaking. It was like every light in the room was radiating off of her face. He had never seen anyone shine so bight like that and he couldn't look away.

"Sasuke, come on. Let's make our way to the front like always."

Karin pulled him away from where he was staring and they made their way to a spot where it looked like a jungle strung with various Christmas lights and several couches that were slightly raised. Honestly, it was a little like a throne for a king but Sasuke liked to sit here so he could watch everyone at his party.

He sat down and Karin immediately placed herself on his lap. He grunted but let her stay. Was she always this pushy before? His eyes wandered into the crowd. He wasn't sure what he was searching for. Maybe more pink hair? He tightened his arm around Karin and turned to survey his friends next to him.

Sai and Neji were lounging on one of the couches to his right looking intently over the crowd. Sasuke could tell they were looking for someone and he had a pretty good idea who. The two of them had been talking a lot about a few girls recently without even noticing. Naruto stood in front of them dancing a little bit but mainly nervously pacing with his eyes glued to the crowd. Sasuke shook his head. Idiots. All of them.

"Hey, idiot. Calm down. I know you have the hots for Hinata but I'm sure she'll be looking for you so you don't need to worry." Naruto, red faced, turned to retort but was cut off. Ino, Tenten, and Hinata emerged from the crowd with big smiles on their faces.

"Hello Sasuke." Ino started sweetly. Out of the corner of his eye he could see that Sai and Neji had straightened up a little. He'd never seen them act this way around girls before. They usually stayed the same calm and cool guys and stayed with the girls a little while until they got bored. This was different. They were nervous.

"What do you want Yamanaka?"

She smiled slightly more. "Whatever do you mean?"

He rolled his eyes. "When you use that voice you want something. So why don't you make it easier on me and tell me what it is." Ino laughed a little and the three girls moved closer. Sasuke eyed them warily. They were acting stranger than normal and that was saying something. Tenten collected antique weapons.

"Well . . . we were wondering if Sakura can dance at least one dance with us." Ino smiled sweetly with puppy dog eyes. Sasuke looked around and saw that Tenten and Hinata were doing the same thing.

"But she's working."

"We know! We just really want her to be able to have some fun with us." Sasuke leaned back into the couch and thought about it. He really wouldn't mind having Sakura dance. But it seemed like such a weird request.

"Haven't you all danced at this before together? Why is this time any different?" Ino's expression changed and Tenten and Hinata's smiles slipped off their faces.

"Sasuke, she's never been invited before. She was always invisible to you and this is the first time she's ever been to one of these parties. That's why we want her to have at least one dance with us."

Karin turned her face to look at him with her lips pursed. It was her best impression of a puppy. "Sasukins, you can't possibly let one of your maids dance with our classmates. That would just look awful. You're reputation would go down."

Sasuke looked from Karin to Ino. Ino was showing determination Sasuke had never seen before. She really loved her friend and wanted her to have a good time. He really had never invited Sakura? That was impossible. He invited practically the whole school he would have had to go completely out of his way to make sure she wasn't invited. Why would he do that? Was he that terrible of a person?

"Fine. One song. Just have her remove her name tag and I'll inform the house staff. Is there a specific song you want?"

"Oh, we've got that all taken care of." Ino winked and the three girls ran off. Sasuke raised an eyebrow and looked at the other boys. They all looked confused too but ignored it. He called over a maid whose name tag read Daisy. She pulled her dress down so more of her cleavage would show. He pursed his lips in agitation. Now was not the time.

"Yes Master Sasuke?"

Her voice was irritatingly sweet and Sasuke could feel Karin shift. It didn't seem like she was all that upset like she was when other girls tried to hit on him. He supposed she didn't feel like this maid was a threat.

"Inform Mei that Sakura is being allowed one dance with her friends. She'll go back to working after that."

Daisy's smile slipped from her eyes and her lips seemed to tighten. Sasuke felt like she was suddenly grimacing.

"Of course Master Sasuke."

"Dude, that maid was something else and not in a good way." Naruto elbowed Sasuke as he took a seat to his left. The music changed and the crowd in front of them started to part slowly as our girls ran to the middle of the dance floor.

"Okay, he said one dance!" Tenten jumped up and down.

"You just have to take off your name tag." Hinata said as she took it off and handed it to Sakura.

"You guys are the best! I can't believe you did this for me! What song did you pick?"

"Oh, you know, just our theme song. You gotta get it started like always!" Ino smiled and pushed Sakura forward as the song started. Sakura threw her hand up and snapped. The crowd parted instantly and all eyes were on her as she started dancing. Slowly, her friends joined her.

Sasuke was confused why the crowd seemed to be parting more and more. Then all at once everyone moved except for one pink-haired girl that was dancing by herself. He couldn't look away. She was breathtaking and so confident. How had he never really seen her before? The entire room was at her beck and call. Soon, she was joined by Ino, Tenten, and Hinata and he could tell that his best friends were also having a hard time looking away. The four girls continued to dance carefree and at the end they even had a choreographed bit. They were so attractive. But it wasn't just the movements. It was the genuine smiles on their faces.

Too soon for his taste the song ended and the four girls hugged each other and started laughing. Why had he told her only one song? He should have told her to screw work and dance with him all night. _Wait._ What was he saying? He didn't dance. He had already made that clear to her. And he definitely had a girlfriend. A girlfriend who was trying her best to capture his attention back after that dance. _What was Sakura doing to him?_

He watched Sakura put her name tag back on and headed to the kitchen. His friends slowly moved toward the other three girls and began to talk. A slow song came on next and they all partnered off.

"Sasuke, dance with me?"

"Fine." He grudgingly stood up and danced with Karin. She was holding him really tight and rested her head on his chest. He wasn't thinking about her at all. He wanted to go find Sakura and talk to her. She was more and more interesting the more he got to know her. She was smart, feisty, loving, and beautiful. He couldn't stop thinking about her.

* * *

Sakura tried to move through the crowd and serve drinks but everywhere she went there were catcalls. Her dancing earlier had really made an impression an all of the guys. She rolled her eyes as more of them crowded her. One of them got a little excited and grabbed her butt. That was it. Sakura made her way back to the kitchen and found Mei.

"I can't serve anymore. The guys are starting to get handsy. Is there somewhere else I can work?" Mei looked at Sakura for a minute.

"You're gonna hate it but you can work the upstairs. Basically, you keep tabs on empty rooms and when someone wants one you direct them. You'll switch with Daisy."

"It's better than being groped."

She could hear Mei laugh as she went up the stairs. Daisy leaned against the top of the banister and she looked pissed. Sakura took a deep breath before approaching her. She had been afraid to talk to her or Kimiko since she had heard what they really thought of her.

"I'm here to relieve you. It's your turn to be down at the party."

"Finally. I thought Mei was going to have me here all night. I know you're new and all but serving the party goers is usually my job."

Sakura took a step back as Daisy stood straight and started inching forward. "I did not and I am sorry."

"Yeah, whatever." Daisy purposely knocked her shoulder against Sakura's as she left. Sakura couldn't understand why she was on their bad side completely but she knew that part of it was her closeness with the Uchiha boys. She needed to make sure to keep a little more distance between them.

Sakura leaned against the wall and watched the party. Everyone seemed to be having a great time. Her friends were dancing with the guys they had all recently started crushing on. They were all smiling and laughing. Just the way it should be.

Someone started up the staircase grumbling. Sakura could tell it was Sasuke and that his white shirt was covered in some sort of liquid. Somebody had obviously spilled on him. She could tell he was grumpy so she tried to lighten the mood.

"Hello, sir. Can I show you to a suitable room?" She smiled brightly as he looked up confused as to why a maid was asking him that but upon seeing it was Sakura he smiled a little.

"Why yes, please." She laughed and turned on her heel to lead him to his room. She opened the door and gestured to him to enter. He complied.

"Is there anything else that I can help you with sir?" She smiled as he looked at her.

"Actually, can you help me pick out a new shirt to wear? I have to be honest, you did a good job getting Itachi ready for that date." He smiled nervously. Sakura wasn't sure why he seemed so nervous but she headed to the closet and started to look around. Sasuke took off his shirt and leaned against the closet door. He watched Sakura as she hummed to herself and looked through his shirts.

"Oh, by the way, I wanted to say thank you." She appeared with a shirt in her hand. He took the shirt and put it over his black undershirt.

"For what?" The shirt was a dark gray and looked great with his jeans. Sakura tried her best to look away but couldn't. She was good at dressing those Uchiha boys.

"For letting me dance with my friends. It was a lot of fun. Just like I always dreamed these parties would be like." She gave him a small smile. "Dang, I can't stop looking at you. Maybe I should get you a different outfit. Your girlfriend might get jealous because I'm sure there are going to be a lot more girls all over you."

Sasuke smirked at her. "You really think I look that good?"

Sakura moved forward to adjust the buttons on his shirt. "Definitely."

He gave her an intense stare. "Well, I have to be honest, I've never seen you look better either."

Sakura's face blushed slightly. "I find that hard to believe since I've been invisible to you for several years."

Sakura kept her gaze on him and could see that her words had struck a chord. Sasuke moved closer to her. She could feel his breath on her face and soon there was no space between them. His lips were on hers. At first the kiss was gentle and hesitant. A few seconds later Sasuke intensified the kiss and wrapped his arms around her back. He pulled even closer and soon his tongue was in her mouth.

* * *

**A/N: **_Who ends a chapter right there?! _

_What even is this chapter? Sorry if it feels a little out of place. I write out of order and I wrote the original version of this chapter like two years ago. Hopefully it will feel more normal in the next few chapters. _


	8. Chapter 8

**Just Call Me Cinderella**

_Chapter Eight_

* * *

"Wait, this is wrong." Sakura pushed Sasuke back with her right hand and looked down.

"What?" Sasuke tried to grab her hand but she pulled hers down quickly.

"This whole thing. Why did you kiss me? You have a girlfriend and you and I are not even really friends. This is all just wrong."

"Sakura, listen to me. I just saw you out there and I couldn't help myself." Sasuke reached for Sakura's hand.

"You couldn't help yourself? Because I what, looked good?" Sakura took a step back and smoothed out her dress. Sasuke's hand was still out stretched from where he had tried to grab her. He didn't try to say anything.

"Well then, I have to get back to work." Sakura turned on her heel and headed for the door.

"Sakura wait."

Sakura froze with the door opened an inch. She sighed and turned to look at Sasuke. "Sasuke, let's just pretend that this never happened, okay? I just want to work and get through the year."

He was silent and Sakura didn't know what that meant so she just walked out the door. But she didn't return to her post at the top of the stairs just yet. She hightailed it down the hallway. She needed to calm down her nerves.

Sakura hid in the doorway of one of the guest bedrooms that she knew was not occupied and watched as Sasuke slammed his door and stomped down the stairs. At least no one would know that something was up with him. He was always surly.

Her heart beat uncontrollably fast as she tried to grasp what just happened and let out a breath. Did she really just kiss Sasuke Uchiha? The guy who had ignored her for years and who called her annoying and broke her heart? The guy who she worked for?

No, _he_ had kissed _her_. That was something she never thought would ever happen in her lifetime. Sasuke had never even looked her direction since the incident at the end of middle school. Why was this happening now? She did not need this now.

What if Mei or the other maids found out? Would she get fired or worse? It seemed that Daisy and Kimiko were particularly nasty the last few days to her and planning something against her. But that could also be her imagination.

Maybe she what just overreacting about this whole thing. Sasuke kissed lots of girls and he was never bothered by it. Why should she be?

Sakura pulled at her hair and tried to calm her racing pulse. It was no use. She was absolutely freaking out. She had kissed her employer and she had been sure her stupid little crush on Sasuke was over years ago. But the way she was reacting now made her think maybe that was not the case. Sakura groaned and smacked the wall. She needed to get a grip.

"Are you all right?" Sakura stopped pacing and met the glare of Daisy. She gulped and tried to seem unbothered. Did Daisy know what just happened?

"Yes I am."

"Then stop acting like an idiot and get to work. Sasuke just ended his party early and has gone to his room with Karin. We need to clean up."

"Of course. I'll be down in a minute." Sakura smiled the best she could through her inner turmoil. Especially after the slight twist in her stomach at the mention of Karin. Sakura pushed the thought out of her mind. Daisy eyed her suspiciously as Sakura made her way to the maid's closet.

Sakura closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths. _Why is breathing so difficult all of the sudden? _She leaned against the closest wall for support. _That's it Sakura, just clean him out of your system. _She kept chanting, hoping it would work but it wasn't and she was going to lose it. The wall behind her suddenly shifted and she was sprawled on her back looking up at Itachi. He smirked at her position. Apparently she had chosen his door not a wall to freak out against.

"Sakura, why are you here? Aren't you supposed to be somewhere else at the moment or did you miss me at the party?"

Itachi chuckled but Sakura didn't even crack a smile she sighed again and sat up. Itachi's brows furrowed and he crouched down to her level.

"What happened?"

Sakura looked at him out of the corner of her eye as she debated telling him what had transpired a few moments ago. How would he react? Itachi silently watched her as she went through her various options. He was always the rational, calm one in the house so she knew he would be as understanding as possible.

"Sasuke kissed me."

"What was that?" Itachi moved to sit comfortably against the wall next to her.

"Sasuke kissed me. Just now. I was helping him pick a new shirt since his was messed up and I don't know. He just kissed me."

There was silence for a few minutes. Sakura didn't dare look at Itachi. She had decided to tell him but now her anxiety was getting the better of her.

"Did you enjoy the kiss?"

"What?" Sakura's head shot up. Had he actually asked that?

"I meant did you enjoy kissing Sasuke or did you hate it?"

"I. . . don't know! Ugh!" Sakura shoved her face into her hands. "I just don't understand anything. He told me he only kissed me because I'm hot. That's not enough for me but my heart won't stop racing."

Itachi placed his hand comfortingly on her shoulder. "Well I am glad that you are stubborn enough to not fall for him."

Sakura awkwardly scratched at her elbow. "Yeah. . ."

Itachi ignored her noncommittal answer. "Sakura, if it helps I am sure that this happens all the time with him. My little brother can be a jerk sometimes.

"Thanks Itachi, that helped me put it into perspective." Sakura stood up and tied her hair into a ponytail. "I need to get downstairs to clean before Mei fires me."

She smiled and playfully winked at Itachi before heading down the stairs. He was right she meant nothing to Sasuke and she didn't need to contemplate her own feelings when there was no hope of them being reciprocated. She had learned years ago that feeling anything for him would only lead to heartbreak so she would fight any sort of feeling as long as she still worked here.

* * *

Sasuke's hand finally dropped to his side as his bedroom door slammed shut. He clenched his fist and immediately exited the room. He needed something, anything to make him forget what had just happened. He had acted in a moment of weakness and Sakura threw it in his face.

Sasuke was still breathing harder than he ever had. Every nerve in his body was buzzing. He had never felt this way before. There was something different about Sakura and that scared him more than anything. He would rather stay with someone like Karin than actually have to feel something real. Sure, he had thought the other day that he wanted something more real than he had with Karin but now he knew it was stupid. The kiss with Sakura had cemented that.

The bass thumped loudly as Sasuke finally made it to the bottom of the stairs. There were more people now than when he went upstairs. He scanned the crowd for Naruto. He needed everyone out _now_ and there was now better way than his loud best friend. There were random people bumping into him as he made his way through the crowd, his mood darkening with every step.

_Stupid Sakura_. Why did she have to be so fiery and sweet at the same time? And why was he still thinking about the way kissed him? She had left and told him to forget it but he couldn't help himself. He was being stupid again.

Sasuke shook his head as he finally made it to the throne of couches he had set up near the front of the room. Naruto was laughing loudly at Kiba break dancing. Soon he was trying a few moves of his own while Kiba laughed. Hinata watched from the couch with a drink in her hand and a blush on her face. The look of love she was shooting to Naruto made Sasuke's stomach churn. He needed everyone out.

"Hey, where have you been? You been gone for freaking ever!" Naruto shouted over the crowd and made his way over to Sasuke. Sasuke crossed his arms and rolled his eyes.

"It wasn't that long."

"Whatever. You missed Temari and Ino having some sort of fight because they were wearing the same dress and then when Shikamaru tried to intervene they almost beat the crap out of him. It was hilarious."

"Great. Naruto, it's time. I need everyone out."

Naruto pulled out his phone and checked the time. "Dude, it's only midnight and you already want to send everyone home? Did something happen?"

"Does it matter idiot? Just get them out."

"That's a yes then." Naruto pocketed his phone and moved to stand on the tallest couch. He took a deep breath. "ALL RIGHT LOSERS PARTY'S OVER. EVERYONE OUT OR I'M TELLING KAKASHI THAT YOU STOLE HIS FAVORITE BOOKS."

The crowd immediately began to leave through any door they could find. Apparently Naruto's threat was working. Kakashi was a chill teacher at their school but everyone knew that if you messed with what he loved he would end you. Naruto hopped down from the couch and Sasuke placed his hand on his shoulder.

"Thanks man. I'll see you later."

Naruto reached out his hand for Hinata and she bashfully accepted. The two of them made their way with the crowd out the door. Karin grabbed Sasuke's arm and squished it between her chest. He looked down at her pouting face and decided that that was where he was supposed to be right now.

"Come on babe, let's have some fun."

Sasuke smirked and wrapped his hand around Karin's waist.

"That's what I'm talking about." Karin turned them around and they headed for the stairs.

Sasuke grabbed Karin and kissed her passionately as soon as the door was shut but a different girl flooded his mind. A girl with pink hair. Suddenly he didn't feel so sure about wanting Karin more than Sakura. He wanted nothing more than to get to know Sakura better and kiss her lips every day. But he was a realist he knew he never would.

* * *

"Ugh, why did winter have to come early?" Ino grumbled as she shuffled her way into the school building. Hinata giggled behind her as she removed her beanie and placed it in her backpack.

"I like the snow."

"You would when you come out looking like an angel." Tenten grumbled this time as she tried to shake the snow out of her two buns and fix her tangled bangs.

Tenten, Hinata, and Ino had decided that they were picking up Sakura this morning. It was all part of the plan to hang out more. Ino's father had agreed to let Ino drive his car since the sky decided to open up early that morning and pour down buckets of snow.

Sakura didn't really mind the cold that much. She thought it was beautiful and she loved being able to snuggle into a comfy blanket and just enjoy the coziness of inside. But after last weekend she was not in the mood to be walking around getting wet.

"I do not look like an angel." Hinata made a face as they made their way farther into the building.

"You so do. Your cheeks are like perfectly pink. Mine look like I've been running for hours. Sakura's nose could compete with Rudolph's. And look at Tenten. I think she transformed into a yeti on the way here."

Tenten immediately began grunting and stomping around like she had made it off the top of her secret mountain. Hinata giggled as Ino burst into a fit of laughter. Even Sakura cracked a smile despite her foul mood.

"Okay, you made your point. We'll see you later!" Hinata grabbed a still growling Tenten and headed off towards their first period class. Ino looped her arm with Sakura and turned in the direction of Kakashi's classroom.

They were silent as they made their way through the halls and Sakura was grateful. Ino could tell that she needed some space and wasn't ready to divulge information. Honestly, Sakura wasn't even sure what to tell her. She kissed Sasuke then freaked out. She was growing closer to the Uchihas and her coworkers were starting to misunderstand. Would Ino misunderstand too? No, there was no way. Ino knew her better than she knew herself.

Ino turned into the classroom and the two of them took seats near the front. Since the first day debacle of Sasuke ruining their seats they had decided to just sit near the front. Naruto sometimes was able to steal a spot next to them but usually he just ended up in the back next to Sasuke.

Sai entered the room and easily took the seat on Ino's other side. Sakura smiled at him but then turned her attention to her homework. She had a paper coming up in one of her classes and she needed to get a good head start or she would be behind.

Ino flirted heavily as Sai occasionally commented. He was sketching something and Sakura tried tuning them out but she couldn't help but smile at how happy her best friend seemed. It was rare to see her being so open and okay with herself especially in front of a guy. Even though Sai was a little weird and did not understand social cues he was perfect for her. He had ignited something in her.

Sakura was honestly more than a little jealous.

When would she meet someone that ignited something in her? Yes she had time. She was only a senior in high school but sometimes it felt like she was just going to keep doing what she was doing forever. Especially if she actually became a doctor like she always dreamed about. When would she have time to date?

Sasuke kissing her on the head gently popped into her mind and she mentally scoffed. _Yeah right._ She needed to remember what Itachi had told her. Sasuke was just being his normal self. He had found a new girl to play with. She just needed to remember that she was not going to fall back into Sasuke's trap. She had learned her lesson.

"Wow, that's pretty good." Sakura glanced up without moving her head from where it was resting on her hand and saw Sasuke leaning slightly over Sai with Naruto just behind him.

"Pretty good? That's fantastic! She looks so beautiful."

Sakura looked back down to her notes and tried to ignore the fluttering of her heart at Sasuke's presence. What was wrong with her? Hadn't she just had an entire conversation with herself about him?

"Let me see!" Ino squealed as she wrestled the sketchbook out of Sai's hands. "Wow." Her voice was almost a whisper as she gazed at the picture before her. "Sakura, look at this."

Sakura looked up to see herself studying staring back at her. Sai had obviously drawn her that morning. She was hunched over her papers with her pencil in her hand and her head resting gently on her hand. Her eyes were determined and tired but the way he had drawn her. She was beautiful.

"Wow Sai, that's the way you see me? Don't you call me Ugly?"

"That's how everyone sees you."

Sakura's eyes snapped up to meet Sasuke's. He had spoken immediately and the look on his face made her realize that he understood just how weird that was coming from him. He shuffled to a seat nearby and focused on the board.

"Uh. . . yeah. . . even if that was weird he's right." Naruto patted Sasuke awkwardly on the back and tried to laugh it off. Sakura was grateful for that but she was still staring at him and her heart had started beating in her ears. _Stop it._

"And as far as Ugly goes, it's just a friendly nickname. Like how you call Ino Pig."

Sakura laughed. "Well then I'm glad you call me that."

The bell rang and most students moved around to find seats. They apparently were not yet used to Kakashi being ridiculously late. Or maybe they were nervous that they were too slow at the party and Naruto would make good on his threat.

"Can I have this?" Sakura asked Sai but he didn't respond right away. She looked up to see him shaking his head no. "Why not? It's of me right?"

"There's a better home for it than your house. Sorry."

Sakura raised her brow but decided not to pursue the issue. Sai was a weird dude. "Okay, whatever."

Sai smiled weirdly fake and Sakura turned back to her paper just in time for Kakashi to come in and ask everyone to sit down. Naruto found an empty seat and Sakura ignored how close Sasuke and Naruto were to her. She needed to stay as far away from Sasuke and Itachi as possible. Not only did her job depend on it but her mental health was starting to as well.


	9. Chapter 9

**Just Call Me Cinderella **

_Chapter Nine_

* * *

Sakura vacuumed guest room five? Six? She couldn't remember. Vacuuming was weirdly relaxing for her so she was kind of in her own little world. Tonight she had been pretty successful in avoiding the Uchihas.

She arrived exactly on time and immediately got to work. She scrubbed and cleaned. At one point Mei had come up the stairs to see if she would be willing to serve Itachi his dinner in the dining room but Sakura declined saying that she was behind in her work load and that Kimiko could probably handle it. Mei looked at her funny and then left.

Shortly after that the cook had asked her if she could take a tray to Sasuke's room for him and his friends and she had suggested that Daisy would be going that way so it was much better for her to take it. The cook nodded but was a bit confused at her denying the offer.

Mikoto had asked her to take a suit to Fugaku downstairs in the study and she had agreed but kept all conversations short and professional. She realized that she really had been getting too comfortable with her employers and that was not good. She had crossed a line having her little sleepover and she did not want them to think that she was there for unsavory reasons.

Sakura finished vacuuming the room and made her way down to the ballroom. Apparently Sasuke and Itachi were to be performing a number of pieces with their cousins Shisui and Obito for some company dinner in the next couple of days. Sakura had been assigned the task of dusting and polishing the piano.

She shut the ballroom door behind her and gingerly made her way across the floor. She didn't really look around the ballroom the last time she was here. Memories of her filling the room with her voice immediately warmed her heart. She hadn't sung since then but it had been one of her best performances. Her father would have been proud.

The room was elegantly decorated and it shimmered in the sparse lighting she had turned on. The chandeliers were dark and it was honestly a little spooky. Sakura focused on her task at hand and made sure to work quietly.

A door slammed upstairs and Naruto's booming laughter could be heard from above her. She shook her head as she heard the group move from above her to the kitchen. Sakura gingerly closed the piano and headed to the door of the ballroom. She wanted to sneak out without the group seeing her.

She slithered out the door and down the hallway until she reached the living room that opened into the kitchen. If she was quick no one would even see her. She walked as fast as she could and tilted her head. Thank goodness it was dark so her hair wouldn't shine from the hallway lights.

Once outside the house she breathed a sigh of relief she had managed to leave unscathed and free of any Uchiha interactions. She definitely could do this.

* * *

The next few days passed the exact same. Sakura went to school and did her work and spoke only to her friends then went to work and made sure that she didn't have any interaction with the Uchihas.

It was now Saturday and Sakura was making various beds in the guest rooms with fresh sheets. The company dinner and piano performance was tonight and there were several people that were staying the night. The room she was assigned to help specifically tonight was that of Obito and his wife Rin.

He was one of the older cousins and from what she had heard he was sort of raised by Naruto's dad and Sasuke's great uncle. She had yet to meet them but from the few things she heard from the cook and Mei they were some of the best people in the family.

Kimiko had been assigned to Shisui's room and she could not have been more happy. Sakura saw her beaming every time they passed in the hall. She had taken a break earlier to fix her hair and apply makeup. Apparently Shisui was just as good looking as Itachi and Sasuke but was an even bigger flirt. Sakura rolled her eyes at the men in this family and was glad that at least Obito had managed to get married. And to a respectable girl at that.

Daisy on the other hand was practically livid. She was assigned Madara their great uncle. From that description alone he seemed ancient and Sakura could only guess how he acted. Not to mention he seemed to have Fugaku a bit nervous.

Sakura finished setting up the pillows on the bed when the door flew open. Sakura immediately jumped and tried to keep her composure. Obito wasn't supposed to arrive for another half hour. She was surprised to see both Sasuke and Itachi holding the door shut. Neither had realized that she was in the room.

"We just have to wait for a few minutes and then he'll be in his room until the dinner starts." Itachi leaned his ear against the door as he practically whispered. "We can hide out here. Obito will understand when he arrives."

Sakura folded her arms and looked at the ridiculous display in front of her. Were these really the Uchiha boys everyone was in love with? Who were they hiding from? Sakura cleared her throat.

Sasuke and Itachi jumped and turned around to face her. "Sakura!" Itachi whispered loudly as he made his way toward her and hugged her. She didn't hug back but he didn't seem to notice. "Fancy running into you here."

"Who are you hiding from?"

"Ssshhhh!" Sasuke had run the length of the room in mere seconds and clamped his hand over her mouth. Itachi had reached to do the same. They slowly took their hands off her mouth once they deemed it safe.

"Why are we whispering and who are you hiding from?" Sakura whispered this time and looked from Itachi to Sasuke and back again.

"Our great uncle Madara. He's crazy. there's no way to tell what mood he'll be in. Either he's pissed and yelling or he's feeling really good and trying to get us to sleep with every girl he sees." Sasuke grimaced and Sakura felt pressure on her arm. Apparently Sasuke had also grabbed her arm when he tried to quiet her. She tried her best to ignore the contact.

"I see. So you're hiding in here because?"

"He would expect us to be in our rooms or in Shisui's. Not Obito's."

"Do you hate Obito or something?" Itachi shook his head. "No but he's never really around and we always hang out with Shisui."

Sakura nodded. It was silent as they listened to laughter from downstairs and various voices fill the house. "Is it cool if I leave then?"

Sasuke and Itachi looked at each other and grimaced. "Best if you don't. He's in a good mood today."

Sakura's expression flattened. "Oh and you don't want the option to sleep with me?"

Itachi burst out into laughter and tried his best to keep it contained. He knew that Sakura was joking. Sasuke's face colored and his grip on her tightened again.

"We just don't want him to treat you like an object."

Sakura nodded again and sighed. "Fine. Can we at least sit down or something?"

Sasuke reluctantly let her go and she made her way to sit on the floor next to the desk. Itachi gave her a confused look but then shrugged and sat right next to her. Sasuke opted for a chair on the other side of the room. It was better that way. If he had sat next to her she was sure she would have stopped breathing. She had been so good this week to keep her distance but his small contact just now was making her heart beat erratically.

There was silence in the room for several minutes as they listened to Madara getting closer and closer to the upstairs. There were several other members of the company already here and the dinner was starting in just over and hour.

"Did you finish your work or do you actually need to go?"

"I just finished as you barged in. I'm assigned to Obito and Rin for the rest of the night."

It was weird working weekends for a big event. The maids got a bonus because they basically became servants for the night or nights. Sakura would attend to Obito and Rin the whole time they were staying here. She was going to sleep downstairs and was only allowed to leave the mansion for school and emergencies. Obito had decided to stay all through the Thanksgiving holiday so she would have to stay the whole week.

"Are you mad at me?"

Sakura was startled by the question. "What do you mean?"

"You've been ignoring me for the last few days and you seem to be keeping quite a distance. Is this because I made Sasuke use you for his demonstration?"

Sakura shook her head. It was still to early to tell Itachi about what the other maids had said. For all she knew it was just a one time thing that left her rattled for no real reason.

"I just felt that I maybe had crossed the bridge into unprofessional territory. I am here to do a job after all. I didn't want anyone to think otherwise."

Itachi turned to face her fully and grabbed her hand. "Sakura, I have told you before. I feel close to you and think of you as a friend so please don't ignore me like that in the future. I love getting to see you and learn more about you."

Sakura averted her eyes. "I know. I just don't want other people to get the wrong idea."

"What are you talking about? Did something happen?" Sakura immediately shook her head several times. "Good. You had me worried for a minute."

Sakura smiled and leaned back against the wall. The time seemed to move slowly as they sat in that room. Eventually Madara did make his way onto the second floor. He was with a rather large group. Itachi was still lightly holding Sakura's hand and she fought the urge to fall asleep. It was oddly comforting being next to him. Almost like sitting with a brother.

The door opened and another very attractive Uchiha stood in the doorway with a beautiful brunette behind him. Sakura shot to her feet and so did Itachi and Sasuke. Behind the brunette Sakura could see Kimiko sneer and Daisy whisper to her. She immediately ripped her hand from Itachi's and took a large step to the side.

"Obito! So nice to see you and Rin!" Itachi moved toward them and they all greeted each other with hugs and handshakes. Rin shut the door as she greeted Sasuke and Sakura took her assigned position in the corner of the room. She was supposed to introduce herself to them then make her way downstairs to help in any way she could unless they needed her for something specific.

"And who is this beauty?" Obito made his way to shake her hand and she couldn't help but reciprocate his wide smile. He had Naruto's smile and she immediately felt comforted by it.

"This is Sakura. She is the maid that is assigned to you while you are staying here. If you need anything at all just ask her and she can take care of it." Itachi smiled warmly at her and she bowed to Obito and Rin.

"You seem pretty close with them if all of you were in the room beforehand." Rin turned a disapproving glance at the boys.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, we both have girlfriends! She is just a friend that we have made over the last month or so. She is different from our other maids. She's not trying to hit on us all the time. Her best friends are Naruto and Ino Yamanaka." Sasuke rolled his eyes.

"You don't say! Well then you are definitely good people." Obito patted her on the back.

"Yamanaka huh? How are you with getting people ready for formal events?"

Sakura laughed. "Well I'm best friends with Ino and a Hyuuga. I know a thing or two."

"Perfect. I need help getting ready."

Rin grabbed Sakura's arm and practically dragged her into the bathroom. The dinner hadn't even started and Sakura was already exhausted.


	10. Chapter 10

**Just Call Me Cinderella **

_Chapter Ten_

* * *

"I must say you do great work!" Rin spun around and took one last look at herself in the mirror. She was wearing a floor length gown that was black satin that hugged every curve. Sakura had pulled Rin's hair back in an elegant bun. She looked stunning and Sakura could only hope she would be that beautiful someday.

"You look great Mrs. Uchiha. Is there anything else I can do for you?"

"I think that's it. We'll head down to the dinner now. I will ring for you if there is anything else."

Sakura nodded as Rin stepped out of the bathroom into the bedroom to the gasps and approving voices of Obito, Itachi, and Sasuke. Sasuke and Itachi had finally let Sakura out of the room to fetch their clothing for the evening and that was it. They had decided to hide out until they were needed at the dinner at the last possible moment.

Sakura cleaned up the bathroom of all the makeup, hair products, and clothes that were scattered everywhere. She heard the voices die down as the door shut and she was left alone. She would finish up here and then head downstairs. Since she had been up here for the last few hours she was not assigned to serve the guests.

A frown marred her face. She was looking forward to getting to wear something besides her maids outfit and mingle a bit. She knew that Naruto, Ino, and Hinata were all going to be downstairs with their parents. She was hoping to see them but stupid Sasuke and Itachi had to get in the way.

None of that really mattered though. What was bumming her out the most was that she wasn't going to to see Tsunade Senju. Tsunade was the woman Sakura looked up to the most. She had met her a few times at Naruto's house and at the hospital when her dad was sick but she was never able to really talk to her. Naruto had told Sakura on more than one occasion that she was really similar to Tsunade and she could not help but smile. She wanted to work in the medical field just like Tsunade.

Sakura opened the bathroom door with her arms full of items to put away and was startled to see Sasuke sitting on the bed in front of her. His phone was out and he was staring at it. Sakura tiptoed not to bother him. She wasn't sure why he was still here but she didn't really want to talk to him. Her feelings for him were fragile at the moment and she was afraid of what might happen if they were alone. She knew what she thought but he wasn't sure she could withstand any interactions with Sasuke.

"You did a great job on Rin's hair."

Sakura froze where she was slowly putting clothes into the hamper. Had Sasuke really said that? Slowly, she turned around to see him still staring at his phone. Maybe she had made it up that he had said anything. Sakura shook her head and resumed her task.

"I'm impressed that it looked so good."

Sakura frowned. Was that supposed to be a compliment because it was kind of insulting. Like he was unsure that she would be able to accomplish something like that. She spun around quickly to tell him exactly what she was thinking and was surprised he was standing right in front of her. Sakura's voice stuck in her throat and her plan to tell him what she thought faltered.

Sasuke stared down at her for half a second before reaching ever so slowly over her shoulder. He barely brushed her with his fingertips but she took in a breath. He drew his hand back with his suit coat in it. She hadn't even realized that he was not wearing it when she walked passed. He put the coat on while staring at her. Somehow she found her voice and averted her eyes.

"Thank you. That is a very nice compliment."

Sasuke didn't say anything but adjusted his coat one more time then headed out the door. Sakura fell back against the door of the closet and took a deep breath. Her pulse was erratic and she could feel small butterflies in her stomach. She violently shook her head several times. _No, no, no, no! _She could not have feelings for Sasuke again. She had vowed that after he broke her heart she would never fall again. Why was it so hard to stick to that?

Sakura straightened her dress and made her way out of the room and downstairs. Since she wasn't serving she could work on homework until she was summoned or Obito and Rin retired for the night. Quietly she made her way down the staircase. She could see several people chatting and drinking while waiting for the dinner to officially start.

Naruto was sporting a very loud orange shirt under his black suit so he stuck out in the crowd of basic dark colors. Sakura smiled as she watched him animatedly talk to Sasuke who looked bored like always. Hinata stood next to Naruto blushing terribly as Naruto tried to hold her hand and use his hands to talk at the same time.

Sakura scanned the crowd again as she almost reached the bottom of the stairs. Ino was looking at her and waving wildly. Sakura smiled and waved back. Ino bowed lightly to Shikamaru and Choji and made her way towards Sakura on the stairs. Sakura finally reached the bottom and waited for her best friend to approach.

"Forehead! Where the heck have you been? Are you serving tonight?" Ino didn't jump on Sakura like she normally would. She knew that her parents and other people at the dinner would not appreciate the daughter of a major investor hugging the help.

"I was kidnapped upstairs for the last several hours." Sakua grumbled. "And I am not serving because I wasn't able to come down earlier. I'll just be doing homework in the maid's quarters."

Ino's face turned grumpy but she softened as soon as she realized. She didn't want to be upset at a major party. "Well that's a bummer. What do you mean you got kidnapped forehead?"

Sakura looked around the room to see if anyone was listening and met Sasuke's eyes. He nodded at her and she gave a small smile. Ino turned to look at who she was looking at but Sakura grabbed her arm and pulled her towards the kitchen.

"Sasuke and Itachi."

"Sasuke and Itachi kidnapped you? What for?"

"Apparently they don't like being around their great uncle because he's either really grumpy or trying to hit on every girl that breathes."

Ino thought for a few minutes. "Oh! You mean Madara? Yeah, he's been on one all night. Naruto almost punched him in the face for the look he gave Hinata."

Ino laughed and Sakura followed suit. She could just imagine someone having to hold Naruto back as he angrily clawed at the man.

"I don't understand why they seem so upset and nervous about it. He's super old right?"

Ino raised a brow. "Forehead have you never seen him? He's an Uchiha. Do you know any of them that aren't good looking?"

Sakura slowly shook her head. Ino sighed. "Come here." She grabbed Sakura's arm and the two of them peered out of the hallway they were talking in. "He's right there. He's the one wearing the red suit talking to Obito."

Sakura's mouth dropped open. He was incredibly good looking. He was muscular and his hair was long and luscious. "Okay, I get why they are so nervous. They have competition with their great uncle."

Ino snorted and the two of them moved back to were they were. "No kidding. That hair alone does something to me."

Sakura smacked Ino and the two of them burst into laughter.

"So, how exactly did the sexy Uchihas kidnap you?" Ino crossed her arms across her chest and leaned back against the wall. She looked out at the party for a second but then focused on Sakura.

"I was cleaning Obito and Rin's room and they barged in. They refused to let me out until they need their clothing for tonight. I was up there for hours. It was so awkward since I haven't really talked to them all week."

"Why haven't you really talked to them all week? I thought you and Itachi were close. Something happened didn't it?" Ino stood straight and got closer to Sakura with fire in her eyes. Sakura couldn't bring herself to tell Ino what she had overheard last week.

"Ino, nothing happened. I just felt like I was getting a little too close to them and I needed to be professional. Plus, Itachi's been super busy."

Ino looked like she didn't believe a word Sakura was saying but shrugged. "Whatever. Well, it looks like my mom is getting frantic looking for me. I'll see you later? You're staying here all week right? What about your mom?"

"She works until the day before Thanksgiving and then she'll be at my grandmother's."

"Okay, see you Forehead." Ino gave her a quick hug and then bolted back into the party, pretending that she hadn't just slipped away for several minutes. Sakura turned and headed to the maid's quarters. It was going to be a long night of studying.

* * *

Sakura shot awake from the loud thunk of her own head on the table. She rubbed her forehead and looked groggily at the books she had been resting on. The party was still underway but she had fallen asleep studying. She was currently sitting at the counter in the kitchen. All the food was served and the dishwashers were hard at work around her. There was a small counter off to the side where she wouldn't be in the way.

She had been staring at formula after formula and had suddenly fallen asleep. Maybe she should stop for the night and make her way to her bed. She began closing her books and putting them back into her bag when she heard voices getting closer and closer. Kimiko and Dasiy were laughing as they came through the door. Sakura didn't want them to see her so she hid behind the pantry door.

"What a slob. Leaving her stuff everywhere." Sakura heard her bag hit the floor after Kimiko's sneer.

"No kidding. But at least she doesn't get to party like we do. Shisui was definitely flirting with you tonight."

"And what about you? I saw Madara's hand linger a little too long on your back." The two girls broke out into giggles. "You know what else I saw tonight?"

"Hm?"

"The little slut was alone in Obito's room with Sasuke and Itachi and Itachi and her were holding hands!"

Something fell to the floor and Sakura tried not to roll her eyes at how over-dramatic that was.

"That little whore! She sure moves fast for only working here for the last few months. We need to teach her a lesson or two. We've paid our dues for the last two years and she is not going to ruin our chances." Daisy fumed and Sakura retreated farther into the pantry.

"Of course. We'll all be here all week. I'm sure we can come up with something."

Sakura could hear the smirk in her voice and jumped when both Daisy and Kimiko burst into laughter. The two of them left the kitchen and slowly she peered out of the pantry. The cook was plating some dessert plates and was totally oblivious to the gossiping maids that had just left. Sakura's bag was on the floor and there was a very noticeable black footprint on the front. It was going to take her a while to wipe that off.

Her notebooks had spilled out and she noticed that some of the pages were ripped. There was purple liquid soaking into the pages and she realized that Daisy had dropped a platter of wine glasses that were not empty all over her stuff. Sakura fought back angry tears once again as she grabbed her bag and stomped off down the hall. She hated them and she hated that she was forced to be in here while all her friends and everyone else was out there having fun.

Sakura angrily dropped her bag next to the bed that was assigned to her for the week and laid back. She looked up out the window that was right in front of her. There were a few snow flurries but not much. Thankfully they had only the one small snow storm. Feeling very much alone Sakura curled into her blanket and fell asleep.

* * *

"Sakura. Sakura!"

Sakura blinked tiredly as she was nudged in the side. Mei was leaning over her and Sakura could barely see her in the moonlight. Instantly she was on alert. Did Obito and Rin need something? How long was she asleep?

"What's the matter?"

"Mikoto is requesting you in the ballroom immediately." Sakura's eyes bugged as she jumped from her bed and smoothed out her dress. Her ponytail was sticking every which way and Sakura hastily grabbed a brush and fixed her tangled locks.

"What for?"

"No idea. She just asked for you to meet there."

Sakura nodded and made her way as quickly as she could towards the ballroom. There were two butlers at the doors that nodded at her. "She's near the front." Sakura nodded to them then they opened the doors to reveal the room filled with important people in every seat. Itachi played the piano with every eye glued to him.

Sakura's eyes widened. Why had she been summoned in the middle of all this? Surely Mikoto did not expect her to sing in front of all of these people and in her maid's uniform no less. Sakura waited for Itachi's piece to finish before moving quickly down the side of the room to where Mikoto was perched on a chair on the front row.

"You wanted to see me Mrs. Uchiha?" Sakura bowed in respect and kept her voice low as Itachi was talking to someone instead of playing at the moment.

"Ah, Sakura dear, come, sit." Mikoto patted to the empty chair to her left. Cautiously Sakura took a seat and looked around the room to all the people. She met eyes with Ino who raised a brow in question. Sakura shrugged and shook her head and Ino nodded. Next she met the intrigued gaze of Madara who Sakura promptly moved on from. Lastly was the smirk of Tsunade. Sakura was beyond confused.

"And I told you to call me Mikoto dear."

"Sorry, Mikoto. What do you need?"

"Oh nothing really. I just thought that you would enjoy seeing the musical performances tonight. That's all. My son mentioned something to me and I agreed. You should be here."

"With all due respect to you and Itachi I feel like I really shouldn't be here. After all, I'm still in my uniform. It's hardly appropriate."

"Oh, that's just a small thing dear. Anyone here who feels like you don't belong will have to deal with me and this is my house. What I say goes. And it was Sasuke dear, not Itachi."

A bright blush lit Sakura's cheeks at being slightly reprimanded by her employer and the fact that Sasuke had been thinking about her and mentioned something to his mother. Sakura leaned forward to look past Mikoto. Sasuke was sitting a few chairs down and next to Naruto. Like always Naruto was chatting happily while Sasuke listened.

"Hey Sakura! I'm glad you could come." Naruto's face split into a giant grin that Sakura returned. Sasuke turned to look at her and smirked in her direction she smiled slightly and sat back.

Sasuke had told his mother that Sakura would like the concert? Why was he thinking about her? Sakura willed the butterflies in her stomach to stop fluttering.

"For our next performance Sasuke will be preforming a medley of songs."

Sasuke stood up and made his way to the piano. He unbuttoned his coat and laid it next to him on the bench. He then rolled up his sleeves a little bit and began playing. Sakura audibly gasped as he started into music from the very musical she had sung there just a few weeks ago. The notes flowed from Sasuke with such emotion that she was sucked in completely. The words of the songs echoed in Sakura's head and she did not try to keep her heart from falling.

Too soon he finished his piece and stood up to bow. He looked straight at Sakura and smirked again as a blush filled her entire face. Those stupid butterflies in her stomach erupted but Sakura didn't try to fight them. He wanted her to hear him play music from her favorite musical. He had done it for her. But why? What was he playing at? Was he still pitying her because of her father?

Sakura shook those thoughts from her head and focused as someone else took the floor to perform. The rest of the performances were a complete whirlwind for Sakura she hardly paid attention to what they were playing, except for when Kushina asked if she could perform and she dragged Minato to the piano and Naruto to the guitar. Naruto was not happy and Sakura could barely contain her laughter at his pain.

She was much too into her thoughts. What was Sasuke's deal? Why was he suddenly being so super nice to her and acting completely out of character? He was a heartless jerk who slept around with slutty girls and did not care about people as anything other than means to an end. Except for Naruto. He had always had a soft spot for the blonde idiot and Sakura couldn't blame him. She did too. Naruto was the textbook definition of a good friend and he was always there for her no matter what was going on.

The concert ended and Sakura bowed to Mikoto and moved to make her exit swiftly. She caught Madara eyeing her again but she was not in the mood to fight off his advances. She turned to leave but someone grabbed her wrist gently. Sakura turned around expecting to see Naruto or Ino and was surprised once again to see Sasuke. He pulled her closer to the wall with him and she complied.

"Did you like the performance?"

"Very much! Why didn't you tell me that you were playing selections from Jekyll and Hyde? That's my favorite musical you know?" Sakura's words came out in a rush. She couldn't help that when she got excited. She saw a flash of amusement in Sasuke's eyes.

"I'm glad you liked it. You actually inspired me when you sang a couple months ago. I had never heard of that show before and I fell in love with the music."

Sakura's heart soared as he spoke and she was acutely aware of his hand still holding her wrist. Her skin lit on fire and she tried to think of something else.

"Well you played it very well."

"Ah, Sasuke, who is this lovely flower that you have hidden over here?"

Chills ran up Sakura's spine and Sasuke's grip tightened. Slowly she turned and was met with the red eyes of Madara Uchiha. He was much more attractive up close but there was something about him that made her skin crawl.

"Madara this is Sakura. She is a maid here." Sasuke's tone was flat and Sakura could feel his anger rolling off in waves.

"I see. emSakura./em A beautiful name for a beautiful woman." He reached down and grasped Sakura's free hand and brought it to his lips. He placed a long kiss on her hand and then held her hand as he smiled at her.

"Thank you." Her voice was quiet and she was sure that he was taking it as demure.

"If you'll excuse us she needs to get back to work." Sasuke released her wrist and grabbed her hand from Madara's grasp and pulled her out of the ballroom and walked her all the way back to the kitchen. There was no one around and Sakura's heart sped up at the fact she was alone and touching Sasuke.

"Thank you for that. He gives me the creeps."

Sasuke was silent as he rubbed little circles on her hand. Sakura's arm broke out into goosebumps.

"I hate when Madara's around. But I've honestly never been that mad before." Sasuke looked up from their joined hands to her face. He drew closer to her and Sakura's heart sped up. Was he going to kiss her again? There was no way. She was reading this all wrong. Right? Sasuke moved closer and closer but footsteps sounded down the hall and he jumped away from Sakura and dropped her hand.

"Good night Sakura." Sasuke turned on his heel and practically ran down the hall back to the party. Sakura took a few minutes to catch her breath and then chugged a glass of water to calm her nerves. What even was happening?


	11. Chapter 11

**Just Call Me Cinderella**

_Chapter Eleven_

* * *

Obito and Rin had to be some of the greatest people ever. They were beyond nice to Sakura. They never asked her to do things for them at weird times of the night and they were always respectful to her. Rin even gave her some advice about college and medical schools since she was a nurse.

Sunday had been awesome. Sakura spent the day learning about the medical field from Rin while Obito went out with his cousins. She spent the whole day talking about her future and even about some of the things going on in her life. Rin was a wonderful person to talk to and Sakura was glad that she was the one assigned to take care of them.

Sakura was glad that she didn't really have any responsibilities that day.

Monday she was back to her normal schedule only instead of coming home after work she just stayed at the Uchiha mansion. Sakura hated to admit this but the mansion was sort of becoming just like a second home to her. She spent so much time here and she was growing closer to several of the inhabitants. There was just so much warmth; unlike her home.

It was now Tuesday night and Sakura was sitting at the same counter in the kitchen doing her homework. She wanted to get it finished before the holiday since she knew she would be working a lot. Her phone buzzed and she looked to see a message from her mom saying that she was leaving right after work tomorrow to head to Grandma's.

Sakura sighed. She felt like her mom and her were far away from each other. They were just passing by each other really and not spending any time together. Sakura was either at school or work. Her mother was always at work. Sakura sighed and sent back a quick message. She would make sure that they could be together for Christmas. They really needed it. Sakura needed at least one family relationship to still be there.

There was no school tomorrow and Sakura had already finished all her chores for the evening. She figured she would check on Obito and Rin and then head to bed. She made the trek up the stairs and realized just how tired she was. It felt like she had just been running constantly for months.

Sakura reached their door and tentatively knocked.

"Come in!" Rin's cheerful voice sounded and Sakura opened the door cautiously. "Hello Sakura! How are you this evening?"

"I'm good. And yourself?"

"Doing just fine." Rin stood at the closet with pajamas in her hand. Obito was nowhere to be found.

"Will you be needing anything else tonight?"

Rin looked up from the pajamas she was holding and smiled at Sakura. "I am good for the night but if you could go and tell Obito that I'm getting ready for bed so I'm ready for the movie. He should be in the movie room already. I think the guys were playing Super Smash."

"Of course!" Sakura bowed and then headed down the stairs toward the movie room. She could hear voices shouting and cheering before she even arrived. Obito was sitting on the floor in front of the screen playing against Shisui, Naruto, and Kushina? Sakura stopped dead in her tracks. She knew that Kushina was a demon when playing video games and she was not in the mood to be around her if she lost _or_ won.

"Ahaha! Eat that nerds. I just schooled you all. You just got beaten by a forty something. Suck on that." Kushina stood up and started dancing around the room. "Oh! Hi Sakura. Did you need something?"

"Uh. . ." Sakura was startled to suddenly be called on but regained her composure quickly. "Rin would like to tell you Obito that she is ready for the movie. Also, I wanted to check and see if there was anything you need." Sakura smiled at the group.

The room was actually much more packed than she expected. Itachi was missing but she had heard that he was out with Izumi tonight. Minato and Kushina were there with Naruto. Sasuke and Shisui were sitting with Obito and Kakashi? Sakura felt weird that her teacher was seeing her in this setting but everyone else had so it didn't really matter anymore. Sai was laying on the floor drawing the scene in front of him.

"Actually some snacks would be great! We're going to watch a movie with everyone. Thanks Sakura."

"Of course." Sakura bowed and made her way to the kitchen. She knew all the snacks that everyone in the room liked and she knew what the best snacks for movies were.

Sakura grabbed several trays and started stacking food and drinks. She picked one up but was unable to grab the other. Another pair of hands grabbed it for her and she turned to thank the other maid or butler who helped her out. It was Itachi.

"I thought you were out!"

The two of them started walking to the movie room. "I was but I just got back. I was changing when you apparently came down."

"I see. How are things with Izumi going?"

"Great. She's going to spend Thanksgiving here."

Sakura stopped with her mouth dropped. "No way. That's awesome!"

Itachi chuckled as they continued on their way to the movie room. "I am pretty excited for everyone to finally meet her. I think she's really special."

Sakura smiled at the sweet sentiment coming from Itachi as they reached the room and started passing out the snacks. Rin was now in the room and everyone was settling into their seats and passing around blankets.

"Goodnight everyone!" Sakura turned around and made her way to the maid's quarters. It was a little early to turn in so she might just put on her pajamas and then call Ino or something.

"Hey Sakura!"

Sakura turned around and looked at Sasuke. He was panting like he had run all the way from the movie room.

"What's up? Did you need something? Did I not get the right snacks for you?"

He shook his head. "No, that's not it. We were all wondering if you maybe wanted to come watch the movie with us."

Sakura thought about it for a moment. Would it be weird for her to go watch a movie with them? Technically the people she worked for were not there. Most of the people there were her friends and people she had known forever. What was the harm?

"Okay. Just let me change."

"Cool. See you then."

Sakura hurried into her pajamas and made her way to the movie room. Everyone was snuggled into the various chairs, couches, and even the floor. Sakura didn't really want to sit on the floor since she had a tendency to get extremely cold. She scanned the room and found there was a small spot on a couch next to Naruto.

Sakura moved down to the couch and slipped next to Naruto. Sasuke was on her left side and she pretended that he wasn't there. She figured he was doing the same for her. She snuggled into the couch and waited for the previews to end.

"Hey Sakura, I'm glad you could join us. We sent Sasuke to fetch you since he's the fastest."

"Thanks. I'm glad you wanted to invite me."

Sakura smiled and focused on the screen in front of her. It was an action movie that she had wanted to see but with everything that had happened with her dad she just didn't have the time. The movie was actually pretty funny and the romance wasn't too bad either. Everyone was engrossed in the movie. Obito and Kushina made random comments here and there and Sakura would laugh along with everyone else if they were funny.

The heater was down pretty low in the movie room since no one really used it. Sakura shivered and pulled her legs up onto the couch to help her get warm. Sasuke noticed her predicament and tossed the blanket he was using across her lap. Sakura was startled by the action but realized that it was a rather large blanket that he had been wrapped up in.

"Thank you. I was freezing to death."

Sakura grabbed the blanket and burrowed into it. It was warm and she was so grateful for it but there were still parts of the blanket that were letting cold air come through. She scooted closer to Sasuke so that she would be able to have as much of the blanket as possible. Her arm was flush against his.

"I hope this is okay." She looked up at him sheepishly and he slightly nodded.

Sakura smiled and burrowed more into the blanket but her right side was still a little cold. "Naruto, Naruto! Move closer, I'm cold."

Naruto complied and moved himself with his own giant blanket so he was resting against her side. The force of him moving over caused Sakura to be squished against Sasuke. He huffed for a few seconds and then moved his arm so it was resting on the back of the couch. Sakura ignored the fact that she was basically snuggling Sasuke now and focused on the fact that Naruto was a freaking furnace.

Her left side was almost on fire by how warm he was and for a split second she was even more jealous that Hinata had snagged him. Sakura should have snuggled closer to him from the beginning. The movie continued with the three of them basically snuggling each other on the couch. When it ended several people in the room protested and decided that they would put a second movie in. Sakura was still cold but she was comfortable so she decided even though she needed to get up early for work tomorrow she could stay.

"Okay, If we are watching another movie can we adjust our positions a little bit?" Sakura sat up a little and looked at Naruto with a cocked eyebrow.

"What do you mean?"

"Like this." Naruto stood up and unwrapped himself from his blanket. He grabbed Sasuke and Sakura's and pulled it off of them too. Sakura gritted her teeth at the instant chill but she continued to watch him. "Sakura scoot a little closer to Sasuke."

"Idiot, if she scoots any closer she'll be sitting on my lap."

Naruto rolled his eyes. "Just do it. We're all friends here."

"Let's just hope Karin never sees this."

Sakura grimaced at Sasuke's words. She had forgotten that he was dating someone since she had been mysteriously absent at the mansion recently. But she moved over anyways. She tried to keep her heart from speeding up as she knew that Sasuke would be able to feel it through their close proximity.

"Okay, good. Now, I'll lay the blankets and then scoot in."

Naruto did just that. He placed Sasuke's blanket first and then his own on top. It was ridiculously warm and Sakura was feeling very cozy and content. After he was finished Naruto slid under the blankets and right up next to Sakura. The three of them were practically sitting on one cushion.

"Since there is more room can I join you now?" Sai stood up from where he had been laying on the floor.

"Sai! How were you down there the whole time? It's freezing on the floor! You should have come up sooner." Sakura was almost livid at Sai's stupidity.

Sai moved to sit next to Naruto and pulled the remaining bit of the blanket over himself. Naruto yelled out. "Holy crap you're cold!"

Sakura giggled and she felt Sasuke laugh too. The next movie started and with her now new found warmth Sakura relaxed comfortably into Sasuke as Naruto and Sai leaned more into her other side. It was comforting being snuggled by these three boys and Sakura soon found herself drifting off to sleep.

* * *

The pillow under Sakura's head had never smelled better. It was woody, like a campfire, and incredibly warm. She breathed deeply and tried to stretch a bit but there was a heavy weight on her back. Sakura blinked groggily and sat up slightly.

She was laying fully on Sasuke's chest. His arm was wrapped snugly around her. Naruto was the heavy thing that was resting on her back. She looked farther to see Sai's head resting on the back of the couch but still right next to Naruto. There was a little bit of light coming from under the door that looked like morning.

_Oh crap!_ Sakura dug around her lap for any sign of her phone. She had a job to do and she could not sleep in. What would happen to her job? She finally found it. The screen illuminated revealing it was five thirty. She needed to be dressed and ready to work in thirty minutes. But how could she wiggle herself out of this snuggle fest that she seemed to be stuck in?

Sakura shifted a little to the left but Sasuke's grip on her tightened and he pulled her in so her head was resting right underneath his. She'd served him a lot in the morning but she had never realized that he was such a cuddler. He was going to make things a lot harder for her.

Naruto groaned and blinked a few times. "What's up Kura?"

Sakura knew he was still half asleep by the fact that he had only said part of her name. "I need to get to work but Sasuke won't let me go."

Naruto smiled at this new information and practically squeezed her to death. "Really?"

"Naruto, please focus. I don't want to get in trouble."

He looked at her for a few minutes and processed what they should do.

"I got it."

Naruto reached his arm forward and pulled Sasuke's arm up gently. Sasuke's face scrunched up and he removed his arm and turned to the arm of the couch. Sakura thanked Naruto and slipped out as soon as she could. She walked quietly up the side of the room. Apparently Itachi and Shisui were the only ones that had also fallen asleep during the movie. Rin, Obito, Kakashi, Kushina, and Minato were all missing.

Sakura rushed through the house and to the maid's quarters. She slipped into her uniform and fixed her hair into its normal bun.

"And where were you last night?" Kimiko materialized next to Sakura in the bathroom.

"I fell asleep watching a movie."

"Oh really? You're such a tramp." Kimiko rolled her eyes and walked off in the direction of the rest of the house. She was not normally on the morning shift but since it was a holiday week the schedules had changed a bit. Sakura turned back to the mirror in front of her and splashed some water on her face to wake up. Maybe Kimiko was right. Wasn't she just cuddling a guy who already had a girlfriend. And her employer at that? Sakura hit the sink in anger and made her way to start her shift.

* * *

**A/N: **_This is based on USA Thanksgiving which is the 4th Thursday of November. _

_Also, I just realized that I write a huge number of cliches. Oh well! Hahaha _


	12. Chapter 12

**Just Call Me Cinderella**

_Chapter Twelve_

* * *

Naruto laughed hysterically as the sounds from a video game grew increasingly louder. Sasuke groaned and rolled so he faced the back of the couch. The couch? Sasuke shot up and looked around wildly. He suddenly remembered that he had fallen asleep holding Sakura in his arms. The smell of her floral scented shampoo still filled his senses.

He grabbed the sides of his head and tried to shake the image out. What was he doing? Was he really falling for the weird, pink-haired girl? _Impossible._ They were too different and she had something against him since he apparently had broken her heart without even knowing it.

He had a smoking hot girlfriend.

Okay, she was more annoying than anything and she only really cared about him because he was good looking and rich. But he was taken nonetheless.

_But_ Sakura was different and he couldn't help treating her different. He loved the way she acted when he was nicer to her way more than when he was rude. He just didn't know how to build any sort of friendship with her. He was so confused by everything.

"You're up."

Sasuke turned to look behind him. Itachi was sitting in his recliner with Shisui next to him. The two of them were chatting and watching Naruto and Sai play some game.

"What time is it?"

"Almost nine. You slept like a rock last night."

Sasuke didn't say anything but moved to stand up and head upstairs to shower and change. He felt weird all of the sudden and needed to get out of the room. It was making him think about Sakura entirely too much.

"Oh, little brother, I texted you a picture I took last night. I think you'll like it."

Sasuke raised his eyebrow and decided that Itachi was just being cryptic like always and ignored him. He walked up the stairs and almost bumped into a small maid with brown hair.

"Oh my goodness! Master Sasuke I am so sorry!" Her statement started out actually apologetic but it turned weirdly sultry at the end. Sasuke rolled his eyes and rudely pushed past her. "Of course. You won't look at any of us as long as you're doing that slut."

Sasuke stopped in his tracks. He was sure that he wasn't supposed to hear that but he had. He turned to face the maid again but her back was to him and she was descending the steps.

"Stop."

Daisy immediately froze. Her eyes were wide but she didn't turn to look at Sasuke. She was too afraid.

"Were you just bad mouthing my girlfriend?"

"No sir."

"Were you talking about someone else?"

There was a long pause were Daisy didn't answer him. "No sir."

"Good. I would thank you to stay out of my personal affairs. Oh, and Mei will be hearing about this."

With that he turned on his heel and stormed into his room. His already dark mood was souring by the second. He threw open his door and ran into his own laundry basket. Clothes tumbled out and spilled all over him and the floor.

"Great. Just freaking great." Sasuke looked at the ceiling for a second before he turned his gaze down to give the maid a piece of his mind. But he stopped.

It was Sakura.

Just the sight of her after spending the night holding her made his blood race and his heart speed up. He swallowed harshly.

"I am so sorry Sasuke. I did not mean to run into you. I was just cleaning up your room."

Sasuke didn't make any noise in acknowledgment and moved around her. He knew that she understood him enough now to know that he wasn't mad at her.

He grabbed his phone from where it was charging next to his bed and looked through his messages. There was twelve messages from Karin. She apparently had wanted to go out last night but he hadn't answered. So she was coming over at ten to spend the whole day with him. He sighed and responded that he couldn't wait to see her.

He also had a message from Itachi. _Oh, right._ There was some picture that Itachi sent him. Though he couldn't imagine what sort of picture that he would enjoy unless it was a picture of Naruto looking stupid. Sasuke smirked as he pulled the picture up. He definitely needed more blackmail on that idiot.

The picture loaded to reveal him, Sakura, Naruto, and Sai all snuggling on the same couch. Sasuke was holding Sakura so tightly that it looked like they were puzzle pieces fitted together. Naruto was laying comfortably on Sakura's other side and Sai looked somehow stoic as always even in his sleep.

"Are you all right Sasuke? You seem a little shocked. Did something happen?" Sasuke had forgotten that Sakura was in the room but he decided that since she was part of the photo she could see it.

"Itachi sent me a picture. Come here."

She obeyed and moved a little cautiously toward him. He held his phone out to her and she took it skeptically. Her eyes widened as soon as she saw what was on the screen.

"Oh! Um. . . wow. . . we all look. . . cozy." Sakura tried to laugh it off but he could see the blush on her cheeks and the nervousness in her demeanor.

"Yeah, we do."

"Well, you better not let Karin see this. She would definitely have my head." Sakura winked but there was something in her expression that he couldn't read. She was normally so open. "Is there anything you need from me this morning?"

Sasuke shook his head.

"Okay then, I'm off to check on Obito and Rin."

Sakura walked out of the room and Sasuke collapsed on his bed. He quickly saved the photo to his phone and then stared at the ceiling. What was even happening any more?

* * *

"So then Ami thought it would be a good idea to make out with this loser named Kankuro. Literally the only good thing about him is the fact that he's a college student at the University of Suna. Oh, and I guess his tattoos. But she was all over him. Like seriously? Pick someone better. Heck, I'd rather she'd make out with Sui or something."

Sasuke was trying his hardest to tune Karin out. She had been talking nonstop for the last forty minutes and hadn't really noticed that he was just nodding and occasionally going "mhm." He was taking care of some homework that he had to finish. He was planning on doing it last night but had been coerced into a movie since his idiot best friend and his parents were there for the week.

He was thinking about last night again. It was the middle of the afternoon and it seemed like his thoughts kept drifting to the moment that he had first put the blanket around Sakura and she had moved closer and closer to him until he could hold her.

_Stop right there. Just stop._

"Then Sui looks at me and tells me that his cousin Kisame was coming in town for Thanksgiving and they are planning on eating seafood and going swimming. Like what? Who even celebrates Thanksgiving like that? How are my aunt and uncle? They're spending the week with you guys right?"

Sasuke suddenly realized she had asked him a question and shut his math book. "Yep. Since Obito and Rin are in town they wanted to spend as much time together as possible."

"I bet Kushina is still as crazy as ever. Can you believe that we even come from the same family? I think that every time I look at Naruto."

Sasuke didn't say anything and just stared out the window. Was Karin ever going to stop talking today? He knew that she was planning to spend all day with him since tomorrow he would be with family all day but she was just too grating. Maybe it was time for him to do something about it.

"Karin, stop talking."

Karin immediately shut her mouth and turned her agitated face to look somewhere else. He knew she was fuming but he needed a few minutes to just think. He had been dating Karin since August but she had lost any appeal other than physically in the last month. Why was he still pretending that he wanted to date her? In the past he had no problem tossing whatever girl he was currently with away as soon as he was bored.

But this time it was deeper. He was afraid. Afraid that the reason he was over her was because he was falling in love with someone else. Someone who was so different from anyone else he had been with. He pulled out his phone discreetly and looked at the photo that Itachi had texted him. They looked so comfortable there in each other's arms. His gaze stayed on Sakura in his arms too long.

"What is that?" Venom dripped from Karin's voice and he looked up to see her enraged red eyes looking at his phone. _Oh crap._ He had sort of forgotten she was here since she had finally stopped talking.

"A picture."

"Sasuke don't screw with me. Why do you have a picture of you snuggling that pink haired whore?" Steam was practically coming from her ears now.

"We were watching a movie and happened to fall asleep like that. Nothing happened." He rolled his eyes at her antics but he himself was trying process what this even was and the annoying feeling in his stomach.

Karin stood up suddenly and grabbed her purse from its spot on the floor. "Fine. You know what? I haven't even seen you for like a week and now this? Tell you what." She turned to face him fully. "Let's take a break for a few weeks. Let's pick back up in two weeks. That should give you enough time to figure your crap out. You know you'll miss this."

Karin gave him a sultry, angry smile and practically ran from the room. He heard the front door slam and sighed. At least that was one thing he didn't need to think about for the next two weeks. He had no doubt that in two weeks she would come back to him and they would pick up where they left off. Sakura was just a minor distraction. That was all. He had just not seen Karin in so long and Sakura was there to fill the void.

At least that was what he hoped.

* * *

"Why are you still here?" Sasuke snapped at Naruto as he cleaned up the mess they had made last night watching movies.

"Because my parents and I are staying here for the whole holiday, remember? You can't be that stupid." Naruto threw a pillow at him that he expertly dodged. Sasuke didn't say anything and continued to pick up trash and blankets.

"Why are you cleaning the movie room? You've never cared before." A mischievous smile spread across Naruto's face.

"Stop. I'm cleaning up because I'm bored and have nothing better to do. Plus, I hear Madara is running the entire maid staff ragged."

"Are you sure it has nothing to do with a certain pink-haired maid? You're not trying to help lighten her load are you?" This time Naruto raised his eyebrows a few times.

"No, idiot, I'm not." Sasuke rolled his eyes. What was with everyone recently trying to get him to think about Sakura? Yes she was pretty and sweet and smart and a bunch of other things but she was not his type.

"I thought Karin was going to be here today. I was planning on entertaining myself." Naruto finished arranging some pillows and flopped onto the couch.

"We're taking a break."

Naruto perked up. "A break? Why?"

"She saw the picture Itachi texted last night and freaked out. She thinks that it was more than innocent and she thinks that if we are split up for two weeks I'll be practically begging for her to come back."

Naruto was silent as he processed all the information. "I see. That picture was pretty interesting wasn't it? It looks like we're all just so comfy and cozy." Sasuke nodded. "Well, I'm sure you'll figure things out in two weeks."

"There's nothing to figure out."

Sasuke finished folding the last blanket and moved up the stairs to put them back in the linen closet next to the theater room. Sakura was placing a few items neatly on the shelves and he took a moment to observe her. She was small and thin but not too short. She wasn't particularly curvy but she also wasn't just a flat rail. Her pony tail bounced every time she moved. He smiled slightly at that and leaned against the door.

Sakura was definitely different than any other girl that he had been interested in before but even if he _was_ interested there was no way she would ever reciprocate. He had hurt her in the past. Something that he was desperately hoping to remember. There was no way that he had been close enough to her before for him to hurt her without him remembering her. Unless. . . unless it was in that year. Sasuke shook his head of that dark time. That wasn't the only reason Sakura would never reciprocate.

He was also tainted goods with a bad attitude and a cold demeanor. It was a wonder he ever dated or had friends. Some girls liked the cold and unapproachable hottie type. Usually they were girls like Karin that slept around and had filthy mouths that loved to spout off gossip at the drop of a hat.

Sasuke needed someone with more substance. Someone that cared more about their intelligence and the world around them than about what color Kin wore to Homecoming. He needed someone who could look at him and read his emotions through his eyes. Who could stand by him no matter the mood swings. But no one like that would ever look at him as more than a beautiful playboy.

He sighed and waited for Sakura to shut the closet before he moved forward and placed the blankets inside. This house suddenly felt so stifling. He needed to get out.

* * *

Sasuke's feet hit the pavement in a continuous rhythm. He used the music he was listening to to keep his movements moving forward. After spending too much time thinking about Sakura he had quickly changed into some clothes and promptly booked it out the door. He ran all the way to Hokage mountain.

He stopped to catch his breath once he reached the top. His breath puffed out in wide bursts and he cursed himself for not realizing that it was basically winter outside. Running in such cold weather was not something he liked to do. He rubbed his gloved hands together a few times and then took a seat on top of the third Hokage's head.

When had his life gotten so weird? When had his focus shifted from his studies and pleasing his parents to being wrapped up in two girls? Why did he care so much? Weren't guys not supposed to really care about these things?

Sasuke groaned and laid back so he could look at the clouds. The cold wind blew across his face but he hardly noticed. He took a few deep breaths to calm himself down. He needed to think more clearly about this and he needed to stop internally punishing himself before he ever actually accepted what was going on.

He liked Sakura.

Plain and simple.

He had only really started seeing her after she spent the night at his house when it was her father's birthday and he couldn't help but keep thinking about all the complexities of her. She had depth and was feisty. Yet she also seemed so insecure and innocent.

Everything made him think about her. He'd see the color pale pink out of the corner of his eye and he'd turn. He'd walk past the choir room on the way to one of his classes and he'd think back to Sakura's beautiful voice. He'd done extremely well on his test after her help and he thought about her every time he studied. Sasuke wanted nothing more than to tell her when he had passed the test. He always thought about what he might do in a difficult situation and he would stare at her laughing with her friends at lunch.

Sasuke had fallen deeper than he had realized.

Sasuke stretched his arms and sat up to look out over the city. He was dating Karin but he didn't want to be. His relationship with her was one hundred percent based off the fact that they were the hottest in the school and it was only a matter of time before something had happened. But he wasn't planning for it to go longer than a few weeks. Yet here he was months later.

Sasuke stood up and made his way slowly down the mountain and back towards his home. The sun was going down now and he knew it would be getting even colder. But, he had finally been honest with himself. Now that he had accepted it he was going to see what was going to happen in the next two weeks. Maybe he would grow closer to Sakura and his decision was going to basically be made for him?

Sasuke shook his head and smirked at the prospect. For the first time in his life he had a nervous excitement in his stomach because of a girl and he couldn't believe it.


	13. Chapter 13

**Just Call Me Cinderella**

_Chapter Thirteen_

* * *

Shrill laughter echoed down the hallway as Sakura sneaked into the bathroom and locked the door. Kimiko and Daisy's words still echoed in her head.

_"Have you seen Hinata? That girl has WAY too much on top."_

_"No kidding. Someday she'll trip and accidentally suffocate Naruto."_

_"At least she has something. Sakura will be lucky if she can get a man at all."_

_"Like that would happen. She's so weird looking. Who has natural pink hair? Not to mention, she's also flatter than a board."_

_"Any man would walk away instantly."_

Sakura didn't try to fight the tears this time. They were tears of sadness instead of anger. All day Kimiko and Daisy gave her crap and she knew it was because she had messed up again. She had gotten too close to the Uchihas. The picture on Sasuke's phone had proven as much. Why was she so stupid?

The voices grew louder and Sakura held her breath so they wouldn't hear her behind the door as they passed. She didn't want them to see her be anything but strong.

"So, Madara made out with me last night."

Kimiko giggled at Daisy's revelation. Sakura's eyes widened. Daisy had made out with Madara? Wow, that girl moved very fast.

"Yeah it was hot and I thought maybe it would go farther but he stopped us and told me to come back tonight."

"You are so lucky. I thought getting Shisui was going to be a dream but apparently he's been talking to someone at school and they're getting pretty serious. He's also always with Itachi and his girlfriend. Whatever her name is." Kimiko's distaste was palpable.

"Ugh, don't remind me. At least she's going to be here tomorrow so we can determine if he made a good choice or not."

Sakura clenched her fist. How dare these women think they have any sort of say in who Itachi dates.

"Yeah, I mean at least Sasuke has good taste. That is if he keeps dating Karin. If he goes for that slut Sakura we'll know that he's lost all ability to think properly."

Kimiko burst out into loud, raucous laughter and soon Daisy joined her. They continued towards the front of the house yelling and laughing about what a slut Sakura was and how wide her forehead was.

Sakura took a deep, shuddering breath and made her way out of the bathroom. She looked up and down the hallway then walked out to make her way upstairs to check in on Rin and Obito.

"Where do you think you're going?" Kimiko was suddenly standing right in front of Sakura. She was several inches taller than Sakura so she stared down at her imposingly. Sakura couldn't move anywhere.

"I was going to see if Obito and Rin need anything tonight."

"I'm afraid we cant let you do that." Daisy appeared to Sakura's right with what looked like a pot of boiling water. Sakura's eyes widened and she tried to back away. What were they planning to do with that? Were they planning on hurting her? These women were insane.

"Why are you doing this? I didn't do anything to you." Sakura put her arms up but Kimiko grabbed them harshly and pulled them down. She grabbed part of Sakura's dress and ripped it. Sakura gasped as Daisy joined in and the two of them ripped her maids outfit to shreds while slowly backing her somewhere she didn't know.

"Didn't you though? You've been making moves on the Uchihas since the moment you got in this house. We've worked for years trying to find the right moment to make a move. The Uchihas are ours and if we can't have them we certainly are not going to let someone as ugly and revolting as emyou/em have them."

Daisy tossed the pot of water on Sakura and she screamed in agony. The water hit her chest and left arm, burning her skin. Sakura's skin was already turning a nasty shade of red and beginning to blister. She tried to move her right arm to cover the painful spot but Kimiko grabbed her wrist and squeezed with all her might.

"This is to remind you of your place _Cinderella_."

With that Kimiko threw Sakura by her wrist and she landed among flour sacks and other random food items. She was in the storage room. It was a room that was only used for big family functions and to receive deliveries of food. There was a layer of dirt on the floor from the constant in and out of the various cooks and delivery men.

Sakura shivered as she hit the floor. It was freezing in here and with her shredded clothes and burnt skin the temperature felt like she had been thrown straight into a snow drift. Visions of the little match girl flashed in her mind and she moved to run at the door but with the impact of the fall her ankle was definitely sprained.

Daisy laughed as she slammed the door shut and locked it. "Sleep well _Cinderella_."

Sakura pounded on the door and screamed out help with all her might but she was in the very bottom of the house where people barely went. All of the guests would be settling down for the night and the maids would be helping them. Sakura sank to the floor and felt around in her ripped pockets for her phone. Of course she had dropped it while they were ripping at her uniform.

Her arm started to hurt badly and breathing was becoming increasingly difficult in the chill of the room and the burnt skin of her chest. Sakura cried. She could not believe that this had happened to her. It was something straight out of a fairy tale to be treated so terribly. She pulled her legs closer to her chest for warmth but then regretted it the moment her knees made contact with her burnt flesh.

No one was going to find her until they started preparing the meal for Thanksgiving tomorrow. That was several hours from now and Sakura wasn't sure she was going to be able to make until then. Her body hurt like never before and she couldn't stop shivering.

Sakura looked down at the mauled skin before her. Her arm was covered in red and brown patches and her chest was just one big patch of ugly skin. Her tears increased this time. Who would want to look at her in this state? Who would find this beautiful? Sure she wasn't really hoping to date at the moment but no one would want to see her after this. No one would think she was beautiful.

Especially not someone like Sasuke who was so perfect and had seen nothing but perfect women. Kimiko and Daisy had made sure that Sakura was going to be scarred for the rest of her life.

Sakura's tears turned into sobs and soon she was hyperventilating because of the pain in her chest. She tried to calm down her breathing but it became more and more difficult.

Eventually she was able to calm down just enough to stop crying but her energy was spent. Sakura laid down as gently as possible on her right arm and against a flour bag and somehow fell asleep.

* * *

Sakura's chest had never felt so heavy in her life and the pain emanating from her left arm was unbearable. But she was warmer than she had remembered being the last time she was awake. Sakura carefully opened her eyes to see her chest wrapped in several white bandages. Her arm was in a similar state and she was in a comfortable bed in what looked like a pink room. Where were there pink rooms?

She tried her best to look around but it was getting harder to breath. She took a big, gasping breath and gentle arms helped her sit up a bit. She was able to breath more freely and finally look around at the room.

The gentle hands belonged to Rin who was looking worriedly at Sakura. Sakura was in the hospital she assumed but she had never seen this part of the hospital in her various tours.

"Is this the hospital?" She croaked out.

"This is the Uchiha private hospital."

"Oh." Sakura didn't know there was such a thing. They really were wealthy. "What happened?"

"That's what I'm wondering." Obito materialized next to Rin and took a seat. Both of them looked beyond concerned and Sakura couldn't help but feel like her parents were scolding her for something. "You never came to check on us last night so we reported to Mei to see if you were sick or something. Apparently no one had seen you since that morning. We looked all around for you but found nothing. At five thirty this morning the cook screamed bloody murder. We all immediately ran downstairs to see what had happened. There you were asleep, barely breathing, covered in the worst burns we've ever seen and ripped clothing. So, what exactly happened?"

Obito asked gently as he leaned forward but there was a look in his eyes that said he was going to find who did this and rip them to shreds. Sakura averted her eyes to the wall in front of her and tried to move her arm. She could but there was a shooting pain that threatened to make tears fall out of her eyes.

"I was in the kitchen and I happened to accidentally knock over a pot of water I was using to make some noodles. I walked to the storage room to see if there were any bandages and somehow got locked in."

"And your ripped clothes?" Rin was angry. Her brows were furrowed and she folded her arms.

"Got caught on something when I got surprised by the pot." She could tell they didn't believe her but that was okay. She might have started all this but she wasn't the vindictive type of person to get others fired. She wasn't going to tell on Kimiko and Daisy for now. In all honesty she was afraid what was going to happen when she did tell. What else would they do to her? Sakura fought down the frightened tears she could feel building. "What time is it?"

"It's only eight in the morning."

"When can I leave?"

"The doctor just wants to evaluate you now that you've woken up and give you some instructions for how to take care of your burns and then you can go." Sakura nodded as Obito rose to get the doctor. She wanted nothing more than to be curled up on a more comfy couch or bed. She didn't want to be here. She liked hospitals but not as the patient. She felt like she was under a microscope and she did not like it.

"Sakura, I'm glad you are okay. You were in a really bad condition when we found you. You weren't getting enough oxygen and your body was way too cold. If I hadn't have been there with my medical training it could have been a lot worse."

"Thanks Rin, I'm glad you were there and I'm sorry to make you two worry."

"Well we like you so we want to make sure you are okay." Rin smiled and held Sakura's right hand gently. Sakura felt so comfortable with the Uchihas and she was so grateful that they were the ones that found her. Wait, hadn't Obito said _everyone_ ran when they heard the cook's scream?

"Rin, did Obito really mean _everyone_ ran downstairs this morning?" Sakura's heart picked up and she willed it not to since she was hooked up to a heart monitor.

"Yep. Uchihas are businessman and police officers. They have intense hearing and vision and they can sense any sort of danger. The minute they heard the scream every door flew open like in a movie. Itachi, Sasuke, and Naruto are the fastest so they found you first. Itachi consoled the cook while Sasuke and Naruto tried to make you more comfortable. I tell you what, I have never seen Itachi and Sasuke so mad in all my life. I think they care about you very much."

Rin smirked and Sakura frowned at this new information. She had made a big scene at the house again. She was sick of always being there and always being part of the household. Why did everyone have to wake up and see her like that? Angry tears fell down her face and Rin stood up and started to wipe them away.

"Hey, it's okay. No need to be angry. We care about you and you'll just have to accept that you've become somewhat part of the household."

"Thanks Rin."

"Ready for your evaluation?" Obito reentered the room with a doctor behind him. Sakura took a deep breath and nodded. She was just going to have to accept that she was part of the household. Could she do that?

* * *

Sakura gripped Rin's arm tightly and she let her. The pain in her arm, chest, and ankle was reaching an all time high as they made the way slowly into the Uchiha mansion. Sakura had begged for them to take her home and let her explain to Mei that she was going to be taking the day off. Rin refused on the grounds that she needed to change Sakura's bandages and keep track of her medicine.

"I don't need a personal nurse. I can take care of myself." Sakura grumbled once again as they entered the mansion.

"Nonsense. I want to take care of you and you will let me, got it?"

"That's some bedside manner you have there." Sakura frowned as Rin cackled and continued to help guide her forward. Obito was carrying the bags of medicine, ointment, and bandages that Sakura would need. Mikoto had already informed Mei that Sakura would not be working until Rin and the doctor deemed it safe for her to.

Rin turned directions and led Sakura to a part of the house she never used. It was a little past the garden living room. There were several bedrooms down here but they were never really used unless someone couldn't use the stairs since they were not as private as the rooms on the second floor. The first bedroom was decorated in vibrant greens so it almost looked like an extension of the gardens. There were giant windows all around that had a spectacular view of the rolling gardens and the dark skies.

"Wow, I can't stay here. It's too much. Take me to my bed in the maid's quarters."

"Absolutely not." Obito set the bags down on the dresser and turned to walk to the maids quarters. "Mei is gathering your things and we are moving you in here. We as a family feel that since you were hurt in our household, and it was no accident, no matter what you say, that we should take responsibility and make you as comfortable as possible."

"Thank you."

"You can thank us by being at dinner later." Obito stuck out his tongue and then ran down the hall like a crazy person. Rin and Sakura both laughed as Rin helped Sakura out of her coat into the bed.

"I'll leave you here to rest for a few hours. I'll be back at lunchtime."

"Thanks Rin."

Rin left the room and shut the door firmly behind her. Sakura really was tired. She had slept on a couch two nights ago and only for a few hours. And last night she had slept fitfully as she fought off the cold and the pain of her injured skin. She laid back against the pillows and within seconds was fast asleep. Obito tiptoed in quietly to put her things down without waking her up. He was going to figure out what had happened to her if Sasuke didn't beat him to it first.

* * *

The most tantalizing aroma filled Sakura's nose as she rolled over to her left side and immediately regretted that decision when pain erupted up her arm. She sighed and moved to sit so she was leaning against the headboard. The skies outside had lightened minutely but there was still the feeling that a storm was on its way.

Sakura reached over to the remote that was next to her on the nightstand. She turned on the TV and flipped through channels looking for something to catch her attention. Her phone was sitting next to her and she had a few messages from Ino, Tenten, and Hinata. Apparently Naruto had taken the liberty of texting everyone on her behalf. There was also a missed call and a message from her mother.

She stopped her channel flipping on some Curious George Christmas movie and picked up her phone to listen to her mother's message.

_"Hey sweetie! Mikoto Uchiha called me this morning and said that you were severely injured but Rin Nohara was going to be taking care of you. I figured you'd be resting a bit. Call me when you can."_

Sakura turned the volume down on the TV and called her mom. It seemed like it had been months since they had spoken.

"Sakura! How are you sweetie?"

A smile filled Sakura's face at her mom's voice. She had missed her much more than she had thought. "Mom, I'm okay. I'm feeling a lot better. The Uchiha's are taking care of me and set me up in a guest room that is beyond comfortable."

"I'm so glad to hear that sweetie. I also heard that Naruto's family is there too. I'm sure that they will make sure that you heal nicely and have a great Thanksgiving as well."

"I'm sure they will."

There was a pause as Sakura took a slow breath. Her chest was feeling a little better but the more she talked the more she was aware of the pain.

"How is Grandma?"

Her mother chuckled on the other end and Sakura heard a few pots and pans move around. "You know how she is. She's stressed to the max. Your aunt and uncle got here last night and they are making Grandma freak out more than normal with their little kids running around. But it has been fun seeing them. Tomorrow Grandma and I are getting up really early and going shopping and then we are all going to the tree lighting in downtown."

"That sounds so fun! I'm sad that I'm missing out on everything." Sakura couldn't help the sad twinge in her voice.

"I know honey. I'm sad you're missing it too and that you are so hurt. What exactly happened to you? Mikoto told me what you told Obito but she also said that he knew you were lying. What happened?"

Sakura watched George walk around in an over sized red coat and took another breath. "Mom, I'm honesty not ready to talk about it. Can we discuss it later?"

"Of course honey as long as we actually talk about it."

"I promise mom."

"Okay. Well I need to help Grandma with the stuffing so I got to run. I love you."

"Love you too mom."

Sakura hung up and turned the volume up to a level that she could hear better. It was just before one and she was waiting for Rin to come see her. She knew that they had their big Thanksgiving meal in the middle of the afternoon at three so she was sure that if Rin brought her anything to eat it was going to be small. Sakura nestled in more comfortably and continued to watch the movie. It was apparently on a loop and had just started over. Sakura couldn't believe that she was sitting in the Uchiha's house in pain watching Curious George on Thanksgiving day. What even was her life anymore?

A knock sounded on the door and Sakura bade them to come in. It opened an inch and Naruto smiled back at her. He came in and shut the door behind him. He made his way to sit on her right side and lean against the headboard.

"Hey Sakura! How are you feeling?"

"Better Naruto. How are you?"

"I'm doing good except Sasuke's been in the worst mood since he found you this morning. I did manage to get him to calm down which has made the day much better. And my mom and Mikoto have bullied the cook into letting them cook some dishes so I've been keeping my distance so I don't get something thrown at me. Are you watching Curious George?"

Sakura turned to look at Naruto and expected to see him laughing at her but instead he was smiling with childlike glee at the TV.

"Uh, yeah?"

"Curious George was totally my favorite book as a child!" Naruto pulled the covers and snuggled into the warmth next to Sakura. She laughed at his antics. The two of them just watched the rest of the short movie in silence all snuggled in the blankets. It was nice to have some time with just Naruto. It seemed like since they started high school he was always with the guys and she was always with the girls. But Naruto was definitely her best guy friend and she needed more time with him.

Sakura leaned over carefully so she wouldn't be in more pain and rested her head on Naruto's shoulder. It was comforting having him here and she was grateful to have someone so familiar in this big house with her. Especially when she was not in tiptop shape.

"You sure you're feeling okay Sakura?"

"Yeah, I'm okay. Just tired and my chest hurts."

Naruto reached over and rubbed her knee a little. There was another knock on the door and Sakura sat up. Rin opened the door and walked in with Sasuke at her heels. He looked nervous like he was unsure why he had followed her in the room.

"I should have known you'd be in here." Rin laughed as she set down a tray next to Sakura. There was a glass of water and a small bowl of some sort of soup.

"Where else would I be than watching kid's cartoons with my bestie?" Naruto smiled and gave a double thumbs up. Sasuke rolled his eyes and moved to lean against the wall as Rin came and sat on the edge of the bed.

"It's time to take your pills." She poured a few out of the bottle on the nightstand and handed them to Sakura with the glass of water. She took her pills with a grimace. Everyone in the room was watching her intently.

"Okay, please stop staring. I feel like a freak."

Naruto awkwardly laughed and scratched the back of his head as he turned his attention back to the TV. Sasuke kept his gaze on her and when she looked at him with her eyebrow raised he refused to budge.

"How do your burns feel?"

"They hurt but I must be getting used to it."

Rin nodded and looked over the bandages. "It seems that the blisters on your chest might be seeping. I'm going to have to change the bandage. Do you want them to leave just in case?"

Sakura thought about it for a minute. She actually hadn't looked at her own wounds yet. They were wrapped when she woke up this morning and last night they were just changing color. Sakura was nervous but she had already decided that Sauske would never want to look at her again and Naruto was like her brother. He would love her no matter what.

"It's okay."

"Good. I might need some help."

Rin helped Sakura take her shirt off. It was quite a process and Sakura requested that for dinner she wear a button up. It was not something she wanted to do until she was better healed. Rin then proceeded to unwrap Sakura. At first it was okay but soon she needed to move Sakura's arms up and the pain was too much for Sakura to keep it elevated.

"Naruto, hold her arm up please."

Naruto nodded and gently pushed Sakura's arm up. Tears welled in her eyes and it was all she could do to keep her breathing steady. Sasuke moved slowly over to the bed and knelt in front of Sakura the best he could. He gently grasped her face in his hands and made her look at him.

"Breath Sakura. It'll be over soon." She listened to his soothing, deep voice and took a few breaths. A few tears rolled down her cheeks but the pain was easier to manage now and Rin told Naruto he could put her arm down. Sasuke looked down at the area that was burned and his face contorted. Sakura knew that she was ugly now just from that one look. She reached up and removed Sasuke's hands. He looked at her confused for a second and then stood back up and made his way back to his old spot.

"Oh Sakura. I am so sorry this happened to you." Rin's voice was quiet and Sakura fought the urge to look down.

"Is it that bad?"

Rin's eyes met hers and she knew without ever even seeing it.

"I want to see it but I don't want to look down. I want to see all of it."

"Okay."

Rin stood and made room for Sakura to slide out of the bed. Sakura leaned against her arm and they made their way slowly to the bathroom that was attached. Sakura closed her eyes until she was sure she was ready to see it. Her body wasn't going to look like this forever but it would look scarred. She opened her eyes and soon her vision was blurred with tears. Her beautiful ivory skin was stained with red and brown. There were blisters and scabs all over and it extended from just below her neck down to almost her bellybutton. She was grotesque.

Rin rubbed her back slowly as she let Sakura cry for a few minutes. Sakura tried her best to think optimistically but everything was different now. She was going to have to live in tshirts and nothing else.

Rin managed to clean up Sakua's blisters and wrap her back up with Naruto's help again. Once she was done she found a button up and helped Sakura put it on. Naruto and Rin then left as Sakura drank her soup and started trying to fix her hair into something presentable.

Sasuke lingered and watched her cry as she brushed her hair. Whoever had hurt her was definitely going to regret it.

* * *

Dinner was a loud affair. The dining room table was beautifully decorated and each place had name cards. A second table was brought in so that conversation would be a bit easier with the size of the crowd. Everyone took their seats and the maids and butlers assigned to help with the dinner stood around the edge of the room.

Kimiko made eye contact with Sakura and smirked as she noticed the bandages wrapped around her. Sakura didn't have any sort of fight left in her for the moment and just stared at her blankly. Sakura averted her eyes and tried not to let it bother her that the people who had mauled her skin were barely ten feet away.

The seat next to Sakura was filled with one of the most beautiful brunettes she had ever seen. The girl's hair went practically to her waist and it was silky. Sakura figured she was just a cousin and decided to speak to her like everyone else.

Dinner was delicious and the conversation was even better. Sakura was happy that she was able to spend the day with the Uchihas and their friends but her burns were starting to hurt more than she wanted to admit. She tried her best to deal with the pain.

"So, I understand that I have you to thank for getting us together." The woman next to her smiled and turned to face her fully. Sakura was super confused. She tried to read the name card in front of her plate but she couldn't maneuver well enough. Who was this woman? Sakura looked at Itachi next to the mystery woman and the way he rested his arm on the back of her chair. _Oh my goodness. I'm an idiot!_

"Oh my gosh! Izumi! It's so great to finally meet you!" Sakura leaned forward to give her a hug but then remembered that she was severely burned. "Rain check on the hug."

"Of course. I was so excited to meet you too. Itachi talks about you like you're his little sister and I was sure we would get along."

Sakura laughed and enjoyed the second half of dinner even more now that she knew that she was sitting next to Izumi. They chatted and shared all kinds of stories and Itachi smiled as he silently watched them converse like old friends.

Fugaku tapped his knife to his glass and stood at his place at the head of the table. "We just wanted to thank you all for being here this year to celebrate with us. Now we are going to do pie in the living room. Mikoto figured we could put on a movie and have some games going simultaneously." Mikoto smiled at Fugaku and then joined everyone as they began to move and head to the living room.

Sakura smiled as she watched Itachi help Izumi stand and then lead her to the living room hand in hand. Everyone was so happy and Sakura didn't want to be the one person to bring the mood down. The minute she thought she was alone her smile dropped and she grimaced in her seat as she moved to get comfortable but her burns were aching and her ankle was not feeling much better than that.

Sasuke stood up and walked toward her. Her eyes widened as she realized that he had been sitting across from her the whole time but she was too engrossed in everyone else.

"Let me help you."

Sakura turned her body expecting him to take her arm and help her up. Instead he put his arm under her legs and placed his other arm gently at her back. He picked her up like she weighed nothing.

"Do you want to have some pie or do you want me to take you back to your room?"

The concern in his eyes was so sincere that Sakura's heart began to pound. He had never looked at her with such a soft expression and she was was sure she had never fallen more for him than she had in that moment.

"I want pie."

Sasuke laughed. Sakura had never seen him laugh before and her heart thumped faster. He turned and carried her towards the living room. There were voices coming from the room and the muffled sound of the TV but Sakura was focused on the man holding her. He was so handsome. His profile looked like it had been chiseled out of marble and he was obviously strong by the way that he was carrying her like she weighed nothing more than a doll.

It was at this exact moment that Sakura knew that she had been lying to herself. She had never really gotten over Sasuke when he had rejected her all those years ago. In the last few months their interactions had made her fall for him again.

Only this time it was stronger. He was nicer to her and it genuinely seemed like the ice cold, playboy persona that he had crafted for the last four years was melting. It didn't help that the kiss they shared had played through her mind more times than she cared to admit. It was something she had dreamed about for years.

Hearing that Sasuke was upset about her condition and having him there to comfort her through her tears while Rin tended to her burns made her heart flutter in a way it hadn't since she was in middle school. It was here in his arms that she could finally admit to herself that she was hopelessly in love with Sasuke Uchiha.

Oh crap.

* * *

**A/N:** _I have a very limited knowledge of burns so if I get anything wrong in this chapter or others after it I am sorry. _

_Also,_

_Confession time. I have lost a little bit of my love for fanfic. I have quite a bit of this story already written and I plan to finish it. That being said, you might notice that my story will be a little disjointed and maybe going in weird directions. I apologize for this and hope that you enjoy what I do write! _


	14. Chapter 14

**Just Call Me Cinderella**

_Chapter Fourteen_

* * *

Thanksgiving had ended with Sakura eating too much pie and having a lot of fun watching everyone play games. Her arm was hurting too much for her to actually participate so at one point she was on Naruto's team so he could play for her. She had a lot of fun but turned in earlier than everyone else.

Sasuke carried her back to her room with Rin trailing behind to make sure that Sakura could get ready for bed and take her medicine. When Sasuke had first entered the living room carrying her everyone pretended not to really notice but Sakura could a see a few smirks around the room. Particularly on Itachi and Naruto's faces. She had blushed darkly, and when she told him she was wanting to go to bed and he dutifully picked her up, her blush returned a hundred fold.

After struggling into her pajamas and laying down sleep would not come. Sakura turned on her TV to some Christmas movie marathon and fell asleep eventually once her mind stopped thinking about the fact that she was in love with Sasuke. She woke up around five in the morning when she heard a large group of people leave the house. Mikoto, Kushina, and Rin were on their way to go shopping. They had convinced Izumi to go with them last night.

Sakura frowned and readjusted. She had wanted to go but she was in no condition to walk around and she definitely would be no fun to shop with today. She had to text Ino that she couldn't accompany her to a few stores like she was planning to. She expected Tenten, Hinata, and Ino to stop by at some point today.

After sleeping for a few more hours Sakura decided that it was probably time to try to take a bath. She was told that she couldn't get her burn wet but that she could still bathe. She turned on the tub and slipped in as soon as the water was low enough to not reach her burn.

Washing her body around her burn wasn't too bad but trying to wash her hair was the worst. Sakura huffed and almost threw the sponge she had used against the bathroom wall. Eventually she deemed herself clean enough and dried off. emNow to put on some type of clothing./em She hadn't really brought any real clothes with her. She had brought a few outfits just in case but most of her stuff was too hard to put on. Rin had placed a few items of hers in the closet that were easy to wear.

Sakura grabbed a simple pair of leggings and an oversized sweater that Rin had put in the closet. It was insanely comfortable and did not rub against her bandages. She topped the look with some fuzzy socks and limped her way into the hallway. The sweater fell off her shoulder a bit but most of her exposed skin was covered in bandages so she decided to ignore it.

The maids, that weren't burnt to a crisp, and the butlers were all running around cleaning everything they could or pulling out heavy boxes from the various storage spaces in the house. It was time to start decorating for Christmas and Sakura was genuinely sad that she wouldn't be able to help with a lot of the heavy decorating. She was looking forward to do that in such a large and grand house.

Sakura sighed as she reached the kitchen. There were various items laid out for breakfast for the family but she still felt weird pretending to be one so she made her way to the cupboard and grabbed some cereal that she knew was reserved for the maids. She took a seat at the counter and slowly started eating. Her burns were starting to hurt and she knew it was around the time to take her medicine but she knew that Rin was still out shopping. Who would be taking care of her today?

A loud commotion sounded out in the front and Sakura jumped, almost dropping her spoon. It sounded like Naruto was having one of his fits. Sakura slowly walked out with her bowl being supported in her left hand until she could find a chair. Her arm was screaming. Naruto ran into several rooms and slammed several doors. Sasuke rolled his eyes behind him. Sakura giggled at the weirdness of it all.

Naruto abruptly stopped and turned to look at her. "Sakura! Oh thank goodness! I thought you had disappeared. Sasuke is supposed to give you your medicine this morning. But you weren't in your room."

"Oh, I wondered who took over for Rin today. Sorry, I was trying to be self sufficient." Sakura blushed and looked down to her ankle that was throbbing. She had tried to walk without limping and was regretting it.

"Are you in pain?" Sasuke's question took her off guard and she took a moment to answer by eating a bit of her cereal.

"A little bit."

He nodded and handed her the right amount of pills. She took them, thanked him, and continued to eat her cereal as she watched the maids and butlers move around in a frenzy. She finished eating and Naruto stole her bowl.

"I'll take that back to the kitchen."

"What, why?"

"Because you're coming with me."

Sasuke picked her up easily and carried her to the main room. There was a giant artificial tree standing in the middle of the room and light Christmas music was playing from somewhere she couldn't determine.

"My mother will be home soon and she always helps decorate the tree. We will all be in here so I figured you'd want to watch."

"Thanks Sasuke. That is really kind of you."

Sasuke took a seat to the left of where he perched her and started sorting through ornaments that were sitting on the table. Itachi entered the room followed by all the other guests. They all began moving around the room getting things ready and in what felt like minutes Mikoto, Kushina, and Rin returned from their shopping trip with Izumi. She looked a little traumatized but still smiling.

Naruto burst into the room soon after holding a blushing Hinata's hand. Sakura's eyes widened at the fact that he had brought her to a family gathering but then she was excited that he was serious about dating her and wanted everyone to meet her.

"Hey, do you mind scooting over?" Itachi smiled sweetly at Sakura. He had Izumi behind him and they wanted to squeeze onto the couch. Sakura looked and realized that Sasuke had placed her basically in the middle of the couch. She figured it would be okay to move closer to him. Though with her recent revelation she was nervous.

Sakura placed her arms tentatively on the couch and moved to place her weight and move to the side. Pain shot up her arm and before she could react Sasuke reached over and pulled her so she was almost sitting on his lap. Sakura blushed at his actions but ignored him as Itachi and Izumi sat on the couch. Sasuke's arm was on the back of the couch and Sakura hoped it would stay there.

Mikoto and Kushina started placing things on the tree and several of the others moved to help. Sasuke and Itachi watched as everyone else decorated the house.

"Why aren't you helping?"

Sakura nudged Sasuke in the side and he gently stopped her with his hand.

"My mom is very particular where certain things go. She'll want me to put the star on the top since I'm the tallest so I usually just wait until everything else is done. Itachi is just sitting out so he's not in the way since we have so many people this year."

Sasuke spoke quietly so Sakura leaned over so she could hear. His hand was still holding her arm from where he stopped her prodding. She could feel his warmth and she hoped he wouldn't let go. Okay, now she was having conflicting emotions. First she didn't want him to touch her now she wanted him to touch her.

She ignored her own inner debate and leaned back against the couch but much closer to Sasuke. Sakura was suddenly very tired. Her nights had not been very rest filled since she was burned. She usually got a good few hours but then she would turn the wrong way and the pain would ignite under her skin. Plus, she was paranoid that Kimiko and Daisy were going to sneak into her room and do more damage. That thought had her up for hours.

Sasuke unconsciously rubbed up and down Sakura's arm and she started to close her eyes. It was comfortable and safe here inbetween the two Uchiha boys and in a room full of laughter and Christmas. The only thing missing was her mom and maybe some more of her friends.

Sakura cracked her eyes opened and watched as Naruto helped Hinata place an ornament on a high branch of the tree. It was so sweet how he was attentive to her. Naruto was usually an awkward idiot but when it came to Hinata he was always so sweet and caring. Sakura was tired of feeling jealous of Hinata and Naruto. They were so happy and had found each other and here she was pining after some jerk that had already broken her heart and currently had a terrible girlfriend.

Sasuke shifted beside her and soon she felt the weight of his other arm on her shoulders. He pulled her minutely closer. Sakura's eyes drifted closed again and in minutes she was fast asleep snuggled up against Sasuke. There was just something comforting about him to her. The fact that they were not particularly close but he wanted to help her heal by taking care of her and carrying her made her heart light on fire.

Sakura was able to sleep for around fifteen minutes but the tree was soon finished except for the star. Mikoto turned to ask Sasuke to put the final touch on the tree and was pleasantly surprised to see Sakura fast asleep in his arms. A soft smile broke out on Mikoto's face at the scene. She hoped that both her boys would date women who were good and able to support and build them up. Not girls like Karin.

Sasuke noticed his mother's attention on him and everyone in the room turning to look at him as well. Naruto was smirking and Rin had stars in her eyes. He fought the urge to roll his eyes at the reaction of everyone in the room. He gently leaned down and shook Sakura. She blinked a few times and slowly sat up. She grimaced as she shifted into a good position.

"Are you okay?"

Sakura nodded and then finally opened her eyes fully. Her eyes widened and she gasped at all the beautiful decorations that filled the room. It was a sparkling Christmas wonderland and she was awed by the twinkling lights.

"I have to put the star up." Sakura realized that she was leaning against his arm and moved so he could pull his arm out. The minute he stood up she missed his warmth. She watched as he gingerly picked up the star that was actually a Uchiha fan and with ease placed it on top of the tree.

Everything could not be more perfect in this moment.

* * *

The front door slammed and Sakura jumped from her spot on the couch.

"Um, are you expecting someone volatile? I thought that Madara was in a good mood this week?" Ino asked as she shoved some popcorn in her mouth.

"Not that I know of."

"Maybe we should check it out?" Tenten raised her eyebrows and looked around at the other girls that were all sitting on Sakura's bed. Tenten and Ino had decided to stop by after lunch since Hinata was already here. They wanted to check in on Sakura.

"I'm in." Sakura was shocked by the mischievous look on Hinata's face as she answered.

"Ditto."

"Fine." Sakura rolled her eyes as she moved to kick her feet off the bed. "But you losers have to help me walk otherwise this will take a million years."

Tenten took Sakura's right arm and wrapped it around her shoulder as Ino and Hinata followed. The three of them walked quietly and slowly through several of the hallways until they found the boys in the living room. The only difference was Suigetsu and Juugo were sitting on the floor and Karin was standing in front of Sasuke. Naruto, Sai, and Neji looked like they were trying to avert their eyes.

"YOU'RE BREAKING UP WITH ME? WHY? YOU KNOW I'M THE BEST YOU'RE EVER GOING TO GET IN THIS SCHOOL." Karin was pissed. What even was happening right now? Sakura turned to look at Ino was also very confused. Sasuke very calmly responded.

"Karin, you and I know full well that neither of us really like the other. We were just using each other for sex and because we were a power couple. I just realized that I've actually been interested in someone else for a while now so I need to pursue that. Don't you get it? What we were was fun at first but it's different now."

Karin's mouth dropped. She ran out the door screaming "SCREW YOU SASUKE UCHIHA" the whole way. The front door slammed shut and there was silence in the room.

"That was harsh dude." Suigestsu spoke from his spot on the floor. Sasuke merely shrugged.

"It was the truth. We were supposed to be taking a break for the next two weeks but there was no reason to be waiting that long to break up when I realized what I wanted."

Ino pulled on Sakura's shirt and the four of them scurried out of the room and into the hallway.

"Oh my gosh! Did you just see what happened? Who do you think that he's interested in?" Ino was holding onto Hinata's shoulders shaking her. Tenten let go of Sakura and pried Ino's fingers off.

"Ino, I'm sure she saw the whole thing. Everyone did. You're going to kill her if you keep shaking her." Ino laughed sheepishly and readjusted her ponytail.

"I really do wonder who it is though. She has to be something special if he said that in front of all his friends." Tenten looked thoughtfully down at the ground.

Sakura nervously played with her hands. Her heart pumped a mile a minute. For the first time in her life she was hopeful that something good would happen to her. But at the same time she was dreading that Sasuke could be thinking of her romantically. She couldn't date him. It was _so_ against everything she had thought going into this job. She was here to work and nothing else. She would be such a hypocrite.

Not to mention if Sasuke did like her what would happen if Daisy and Kimiko found out? Sakura looked behind around her friends to make sure there was no one lurking in the shadows. Ino met her gaze and furrowed her eyebrows. Sakura changed her face into a small smile and hoped that Ino missed her nervousness.

"Well I think to all of you who I like should be obvious."

Sasuke joined the girls in the hallway flanked by all the guys. Everyone looked at him quizzically except for Naruto who had a dopey smirk on his face. Sasuke walked over and leaned against the wall right next to Sakura and gently slid his arm around her waist. She started to blush but then came to her senses and moved out of his grasp the best she could with her ankle. This was too fast and there was no way anything could happen between them.

"Oh. My. Gosh." Ino almost screamed out her excitement. Tenten's eyes widened and she kept looking inbetween Sasuke's hand that had retreated to his side and Sakura's blushed face.

"Sakura? You like Sakura?" Neji was the next to find his voice. Sasuke just nodded his head and everyone stared dumbfounded at the two.

Sakura awkwardly coughed to clear her throat. "Okay, well. . . now that that's out in the open that's. . . good." She turned to make her way down the hall back to her room. Her ankle throbbed as she practically ran and her cheeks were too hot from all the blushing. A few tears streamed down her face and she caught the angry face of Daisy in the kitchen but with amazing willpower Sakura ignored her. Hinata followed her but Tenten and Ino stood like statues for a few minutes before they too ran off down the hall.

Sakura sat panting on her bed. Tears flowed freely down her face now. She wasn't sure what she was crying for. It must have been a combination of things. Her ankle and burns hurt, she was embarrassed by Sasuke saying that he liked her in front of all of their friends, and she knew that even though he liked her and she liked him, she couldn't date him. There was too much history and too many things that would keep them divided. Sakura could not handle anymore surprises this year.

Hinata sat next to her on the bed and pulled Sakura's head to rest on her shoulder. Sakura's body shook and she cried harder. This had been the weirdest Thanksgiving week for her and she could not wait for it to be over. She needed the normalcy of school or something. Anything to distract her. She was terrified of her newfound feelings and terrified of Sasuke's. She was terrified of Daisy an Kimiko and terrified that she would end up heartbroken and crying in her bedroom for hours on end again.

She needed to get away from the Uchihas.

"Forehead, talk to us. What's up?" Ino knelt in front of Sakura on the floor and Tenten sat against the wall. The concern on their faces was obvious.

"Its just all too much."

"Do you like him?" Ino asked shyly. She knew better than anyone what Sakura had gone through.

Sakura merely nodded. "But it doesn't matter. I can't date him. There's just too many factors and. . ."

"And?" Tenten sat forward a little bit.

"Nothing. It's nothing."

There was silence as Sakura composed herself and the others waited for her to say something.

"Do you guys want to go down to the tree lighting in downtown? I need to get out of here."

"Of course! Do you want us to invite anyone else?" Ino knew that Sakura liked having Naruto around when she was sad and honestly Sai had become really comforting to her in the last few years as well.

"Naruto and Sai."

"I'm on it." Hinata stood up and made her way to ask the guys to come with them discreetly so Sasuke wouldn't want to tag along. He was the last person Sakura needed to see right now.

* * *

Some time away from the mansion was exactly what Sakura needed. She needed to walk around in the brisk November air and look in all the shops selling their Christmas wares. Sakura also really needed to see the lights. Downtown looked like a fairy garden and it helped Sakura think about happier memories than Sasuke's bold confession.

Naruto carried Sakura on his back for part of their tour of downtown and she laughed hysterically as he ran around like an idiot. He always knew how to cheer her up when she was thinking too hard. Sakura genuinely felt better when she got back to the mansion for the night.

Ino, Tenten, and Sai all headed home and Naruto dropped her off at her room so he could take Hinata home. Sakura was looking forward to climbing into bed and watching a cheesy Christmas movie until she fell asleep. She heard laughter coming from the living room but decided that she didn't really feel up to interacting with more people. Rin had texted her that her medicine was sitting on the nightstand and she could take it when she got home.

Sakura opened her bedroom door and dropped her phone on the floor. There was fabric everywhere. All of her clothing items were shredded. All the clothes that belonged to Rin were missing and there was something red stained all over what used to be her maid's uniform. Sakura took small steps until she reached the uniform. In paint was one word: _WHORE._

Sakura didn't cry this time. She had cried all she had left earlier. She simply bunched the clothes up and moved them to the trashcan in her bathroom. It was too small so she dumped them into the bathtub. She would deal with this tomorrow. She took her medicine and crawled into her covers. There was no Christmas movie in the world that could make her feel better tonight.


	15. Chapter 15

**Just Call Me Cinderella**

_Chapter Fifteen_

* * *

Mrs. Haruno had taken off work so she could meet the doctor and learn about Sakura's situation. Rin had agreed to come with them just in case there was anything she could help with. When the doctor removed the bandages, with Rin's help, Mrs. Haruno cried. Sakura had to look at the wall so she wouldn't do the same. Even with the tears, Sakura was extremely grateful that her mother had come along. Sakura had been scared about what the doctor was going to say and having her mother next to her,holding her hand, comforted her beyond belief.

The doctor's assessment was that Sakura was healing at a fairly steady rate and it wouldn't be long before she could go without the bandages completely. For now she was supposed to remove them at night so her burns could be exposed to a little bit of oxygen. She had another check up on Friday.

The rest of the previous weekend Sakura had pretty much kept to her room getting a head start on some of her homework, relaxing, and spending time talking with Rin and Izumi. She had avoided the Uchiha boys like the plague. The message she had gotten from Kimiko and Daisy was loud and clear. So was Sasuke's confession. She would keep her distance.

Mikoto had demanded that Sakura stay at her house until she healed enough that she was okay to not need regular check ups and that Rin would stay to take care of her. Obito had returned home while Rin was staying until she heard what Sakura's doctor had to say on Friday. Sakura was glad that she hadn't had to move out yet because she hadn't figured out what to do with all her shredded clothes. Someone would definitely see them when she left and for some reason she wasn't ready to tell the truth.

Sakura sighed happily as she sat down at her normal lunch table. It felt so good to go back to school this morning. It was much better than having to deal with everything at the Uchiha mansion. Everyone had somehow heard about Sakura's accident by this point and they were not subtle about trying to see her burn. She got a lot of prying looks while her classmates tried to see around the bandages wrapped all around her.

There were also rumors circulating that Sasuke had cheated on Karin and that was why they split up. Sasuke was unbothered but Karin was telling an over dramatized story to anyone who would listen. Sakura had managed to avoid Sasuke at ever available chance which was pretty hard considering that Naruto had valiantly carried Sakura's books to each class for her.

"Did I bring you enough of what you needed?" Ino asked as soon as she sat down across from Sakura. She had been late that morning so they had yet to have a moment to talk.

"Yeah, it was a big help. Thanks."

"Sakura. What happened to all the other clothes you had and why are you severely burned?"

"I told you."

"What you told me was crap." Ino's stare was intense. "Look, I'm your best friend. You can be honest with me. It's just us here. Spill it forehead or I'm going to do some digging and find out myself."

Sakura stared down and swirled her spoon around her mashed potatoes. Her appetite was suddenly gone. She knew Ino was right. She could trust her. Plus, she needed to tell someone. It was beginning to take a toll on her mentally.

"Fine. Do you know the two maids I work with named Daisy and Kimiko?"

"Yeah, they used to go to school here. Kimiko always hated me because she wanted in Deidara's pants but he had a bit of thing for me. Talk about narcissism." Ino rolled her eyes playfully.

"Anyway. . . they threatened me. They told me to stay away from the Uchihas because the Uchihas are for them and if they can't have them they want to pick who Sasuke and Itachi date. I don't know where they got that from. They ripped my uniform up and then poured scalding water on me. Then they locked me in the storage room. On Friday Daisy saw Sasuke confess to me and when I got home from the tree lighting my clothes were all shredded and the word whore was painted on my maid's uniform."

Sakura avoided Ino's gaze for a few minutes. She didn't want to see pity or sadness. When she looked up she found Ino bending her spork in half and her face turning an ugly shade of purple.

"They _what_?"

"You heard me."

"They disfigured you because they have some unhealthy idea that they should date the Uchihas? That is beyond messed up. You are scarred forever because they're jealous. You need to say something to Mei. They need to be fired and dealt with immediately."

"Ino, stop."

"What? NO! They burned you Sakura. _On purpose_. They want to hurt you and you're so nice you're going to let them keep their jobs? Absolutely not!"

Ino was pissed. She was almost full on yelling at this point and a few heads had turned their way. Sakura tried her hardest to calm her down.

"Fine. I'll calm down but you need to actually deal with this. Tell Sasuke or something."

"Ino, I can't do that. I'm trying to keep my distance."

"Because of these threats? Screw that! You need justice!"

"No Ino. It's because I don't want to go through the summer after eighth grade again. It hurt being rejected and I've seen the way he is with girls. How do I know he won't just toss me away when someone new comes along? He literally said 'I need to pursue that'. That makes me sound like another conquest. I'd rather endure some physical pain if it meant that I wouldn't have to go through that heartbreak again. I know that's the same reason you've had such a hard time moving forward with Sai. Shikamaru ripped your heart out when he started dating Temari."

Ino looked at Sakura with sadness in her eyes. She knew exactly what Sakura was saying. She wouldn't push her until she was ready.

"You're right forehead. Just be careful and if something else happens tell me. I will be there to help you as soon as I can. And as soon as there is an opening you need to tell Sasuke or Itachi. You can't endure this forever."

Sakura grasped Ino's hand. "Thanks, you're the best."

"Oh gross. You're late for lunch one day and you show up in the middle of a love fest." Tenten rolled her eyes and pretended to gag as she sat down. Sakura and Ino looked at each other and burst out into loud laughter. Sakura would be okay. Ino would always have her back.

* * *

It was Thursday that Sakura was finally cornered and unable to run away. She had been sitting in the bleachers watching as Ino practiced cheer and Tenten practiced with the volleyball team. Hinata was at her weekly martial arts lessons and Sakura was feeling a little left out more than usual. She had to give up any fun activities this year so she could work. Sadly, that meant that she had to give up being a trainer.

Sasuke sat next to her. She knew it was him by the quiet way he sat down and the reaction from several of cheerleaders at seeing him. He moved slightly closer and Sakura tried to act like it wasn't bothering her to be that close to him.

"You've been avoiding me."

"I've been busy."

Sasuke scoffed and shifted so he was leaning forward with his head in his hands. "Yeah right. I wanted to ask you something."

Sakura's heart started pounding thinking back to his confession in the hallway.

"Go ahead."

"Who did this to you?"

Sakura deflated at the question but she was suddenly more aware of who was around them.

"Sasuke, I already told Rin it was an accident."

A junior on the volleyball team missed a hit and her ankle twisted with a painful sounding crack. Sakura watched longingly as Moegi rushed out to the court to tend to her injury.

"Sakura, I'm not an idiot I know that someone did this to you. Why won't you tell me? I just want to make sure that it never happens again."

Sakura sighed and stood up with her bag hanging off her good arm. "Because it's my business and my problem and I don't want you getting involved."

With that she stomped down the bleachers and down the hallway. She had homework to get done and watching her friends live out their lives happily was just a waste of time. Sasuke grabbed her arm just as she reached the math classrooms. He turned her around gently.

"I don't know why you're being so stubborn. I just want to help you." He let go of her arm angrily.

"Well stop! I didn't ask for your help. Just leave me alone!"

Sakura stormed away again and he let her. She was suddenly exhausted and wanted nothing more that to sink into her bed. But she didn't want to go back to the mansion just yet. Sakura texted her friends and headed down the street.

* * *

"Okay, what's up with you? You've been acting weirder than normal since we've gone back to school."

Tenten studied Sakura over the pile of books in front of her. They were supposed to be studying in the public library for the first time ever since starting high school but Tenten had been watching Sakura like a hawk. Hinata averted her gaze to her own book and tried to ignore the conversation since she knew it was going to be awkward as Tenten just shut her book and leaned back.

"What do you mean weirder?"

"Sak, is this because Sasuke declared his undying love for you?"

"Ten you know that's not what happened. He just suddenly declared he _liked_ me. That's it." Sakura looked down at her book and tried to make sense of the questions. She needed to finish this since she was still healing she knew that she would need to head to bed as soon as she got back. Sakura glanced up at Ino who gave her a look that seemed to communicate that Sakura needed to tell Tenten and Hinata everything.

Tenten slapped her hand on top of Sakura's book. Hinata and Sakura jumped as several patrons near them yelled at Tenten to quiet down. Ino snorted and put down her pencil as Hinata finally spoke.

"Sakura you can tell us. What's up?"

Sakura looked fully into the faces of her three best friends. "Well. . . I was burned by two of the maids at the mansion. They've been bullying me about my closeness to the Uchihas who they have claimed as their own."

Hinata's eyes widened and Tenten whispered a "shut up".

"I also don't know what to do about Sasuke. I don't want to get hurt again and I'm not sure that his intentions are all that pure. I guess everything's just been piling up. This year has sucked."

Tenten placed her arm tenderly around Sakura and pulled her in close. "Sak, we're here for you. You should have come to us sooner. We can help you carry some of your problems. That is what friends are for."

"Please, don't hide things from us again."

"Thanks guys." Sakura sniffled but willed herself not to cry. She was sick of tears.

"What are you going to do about the maids?" Hinata asked quietly.

"I told her to tell Sasuke or Itachi but she doesn't want to. She wants to keep her distance of them but I think that's ridiculous. She needs to get this taken care of."

Tenten let go of Sakura. "Wait, you knew that this happened?"

"She told me at lunch on Monday when I practically squeezed it out of her. I had no idea before that."

Tenten nodded. "I agree with Ino. You need to say something sooner rather than later. You can't keep working there with two women who injured you and are bullying you. It's unsafe."

Hinata moved her books so that she could reach for Sakura's hand. "Why are you protecting them Sakura?"

"I just. . . I don't know! I don't know why I'm doing anything anymore. I just wanted to work, earn some money for my mom, go to college, fall in love at some point, and live a happy life. And now all this is happening. I just can't!" Sakura dropped her face into her hands. She had snapped. She knew it was going to happen but it was unfortunate it was happening in a public place. It felt like everyone at the library was watching her crumble to pieces.

Tenten immediately pulled Sakura into her and Ino moved swiftly to hold onto her as well.

"Sakura, it's okay. We know that it's hard right now. It doesn't matter why you won't tell on them. But it's hurting you so you need to tell someone. Okay?" Ino pulled Sakura's face up from Tenten's shoulder. Sakura took a few deep breaths as she looked into Ino's concerned eyes.

"The soonest opportunity I'll do something about it."

"Promise?"

"Promise."

* * *

It was late evening when Sakura got back to the mansion. She had gone to dinner with her mother after her study session and now her mom was heading back to work to finish her shift. Mrs. Haruno had agreed that Sakura could stay at the mansion for a little bit longer so that there would always be someone around if Sakura needed anything.

Sakura felt exhausted from all the places and things she had done today. She hadn't really gone and done anything in the last few days besides school. Her body was tired and her healed ankle was acting up a bit from the constant use. Sakura did feel lighter though after telling her friends about Daisy and Kimiko.

She opened her bedroom door and was surprised to see the lamp on and the bathroom light illuminating the small space. Sakura froze with her hand on the door handle. Were Daisy and Kimiko here looking for another reason to torment her? She took a deep breath and walked shakily into her room and shut the door quietly. She took a few steps towards the bathroom with caution. Whatever they were going to do this time she was ready. At least she hoped.

Sasuke walked out of the bathroom clutching her ripped maid's uniform with the paint all over it. He looked up at her. His eyes looked almost red with anger. But underneath there was something that looked like heartache.

"Sakura, what is this?"

"Um, a prank?"

Sasuke clutched the dress tighter. "Sakura. What is this."

He was no longer asking. It was a command to tell him. Sakura awkwardly adjusted so she was resting her weight on her left ankle. She tried to avoid Sasuke's eyes and his question but he was too intimidating. She couldn't fight it anymore. "It's a present from two people that hate me."

"Why do they hate you?"

"They think that I'm a whore, obviously." She said the last part more to herself than to him but he heard her nevertheless.

"They burned you."

Again, another statement instead of a question.

"Yes."

"Who?" Sasuke growled out with such fervor that Sakura physically jumped. Her eyes widened and he realized that he had frightened her. "Who was it Sakura?" He lowered his voice and sounded almost pleading like it physically hurt him to see her suffer.

"I'm not ready to tell you yet."

Sasuke threw the dress on the ground and stomped past Sakura to the door. He was going to find out who left her this message this instant. Sakura grabbed his arm and stopped him.

"Please don't go. I'm really tired but I don't want to be alone in here. Especially if they get fired. I don't want to be here alone when they find that out."

Sasuke turned around and scanned her face. Sakura was terrified and she could not hide it. She had been strong but now she was tired and still trying to heal. He nodded and allowed her to pull him to the bed.

"I'm going to change. I'll be right back."

Sasuke was already in pajamas so he crawled under the covers to the side of the bed he had seen Naruto sitting on Thanksgiving day. Sakura emerged from the bathroom soon after and looked a little bashful at Sasuke.

"Um."

"What is it?"

Sasuke couldn't pretend that this situation wasn't awkward. The last time he had spoken to her was when he had confessed that he liked her. After that she was pretty scarce around the house and he had been upset. But now that he knew she was being tormented by two of his own maids he understood.

"I um. . . need help with taking off my bandages. I'm supposed to sleep without them and I just remembered. Rin normally helps me change them but since you're here and all."

"I can do it."

Sakura moved toward the bed and sat on the edge. Sasuke scooted over and moved to remove her arm bandages. He slowly undid the wrapping to not agitate anything. Several of Sakura's blisters were oozing a little bit still so he dabbed at them gently. Now was the awkward part.

Sakura pulled off her night gown and faced the wall. Sasuke's face turned into a professional mask as he slowly unwrapped the bandages. Sakura stared more intensely at the wall. Her eyes were burning with tears but it wasn't from the unblinking gaze she had on the wall. It was the fact that she was finally going to be exposed for a man completely. The man she liked in fact and she was hideous. He would see everything unobstructed by Rin this time.

Daisy and Kimiko had certainly accomplished their objective in making her ugly to any man. She could barely look at herself in the mirror anymore. How would someone like Sasuke ever look at her in anything other than disgust. Sasuke pulled the last section of bandage off and Sakura moved to cover her exposed chest.

"I need to dab at the blisters that are oozing. You're going to have to put your arms down."

Sakura started crying full on then. Sasuke stopped what he was doing and looked at her with concern. "Sakura if you're uncomfortable with me seeing your chest I can get Rin to come down. I'm sorry I didn't even think that might be too much for you."

"It's not that. It's just I'm. . . I'm. . ."

"You're what Sakura?"

"Ugly."

Sasuke sat for a few minutes processing her answer. He had not expected that coming from the most beautiful girl her knew but he assumed she meant that she was ugly because of the burn covering her skin. The thought of her being ugly had never crossed his mind. All he had thought when he first saw her burns a few days ago was that someone was going to pay for what they did to her but it didn't diminish his feeling for her in any way. He liked her for her. Not her skin.

Sasuke reached forward and set his hand on her arm gently. "Sakura, you may be burned but you will never be ugly. This burn does not make you ugly and any man would be so lucky to get intimate with you. You're absolutely beautiful no matter the scars on your body."

Sakura fought back another sob at his words. He had just called her beautiful while her burned skin was out on display. She had needed to hear that since the day it happened. She had needed confirmation that everything would be okay. And coming from him it made her heart soar even more.

Slowly Sakura pulled her arms down into her lap and Sasuke resumed cleaning up her blisters before gently helping her into her night gown again. She should have been more embarrassed that she had been topless in front of Sasuke but it didn't feel awkward or weird. It felt right. Like he was always supposed to see the most raw parts of her.

Sasuke turned off the lamp and the two of them crawled into bed. Sakura grunted as she tried to find a comfortable spot. Sleeping without the bandages meant that her skin was going to be rubbing against her clothes. She had a very rough night ahead of her.

Eventually she was able to fall asleep with the comfort that Sasuke was right next to her and he was there in case anything happened. Whether it be jealous maids or her own skin protesting. She had never slept better.

* * *

Sakura winced as she took a look at her chest in the mirror. Her tiny bathroom was foggy from the bath she had just taken. Her burns were healing nicely and movement was getting much better. She quickly slipped into her uniform and made her way once again to the maid's quarters. Mikoto had been stubborn about not letting her work for the last week. It was only yesterday that Sakura convinced her she was able to move at least a little bit and could in fact do a few chores.

Mai smiled warmly as Sakura entered the back door. "Good morning dear. I am under strict orders to make you take it easy. So, I want you to vacuum the upstairs at your own pace. Take as many breaks as necessary and don't be afraid to leave parts unfinished." Mei was trying her best to smile but there was a pain in her eyes.

"Thank you. I will do my best."

Sakura rushed out of there and up the stairs as quickly as possible. There was nothing she hated more than looks of pity from others. She was burned because of her own stupidity of getting to close to the untouchable but she was not going to let that hold her back.

* * *

It had been almost an hour and Sakura was at her wits end. This was the longest Saturday of her life. She had vacuumed the hallway and was almost finished but it been the worst struggle. When she bent over to use the vacuum the skin on her chest would become impossibly tight. Her arm was also completely useless so having to steer with one hand was not working.

She sighed and turned off the machine. After a few minutes of awkward shuffling she finally reached the floor. Her chest was heaving with the effort and the stiff wall behind her was somehow comforting. This house was more like home to her sometimes than her own home.

_ Get up! _Sakura looked around the hallway. What if the other maids showed up? She was not going to let any sort of weakness be shown to Daisy and Kimiko. Sakura didn't want to give them anymore reason to torture her. It was almost Christmas and she wanted to have enough money set aside so her and her mom could have a nice holiday. A little burn wasn't going to stop her.

"Oh look! The poor wretch herself." Sakura jumped at the sudden voice and looked up to find the very girls she was thinking about. Unconsciously she started shivering.

"What do you want?" Sakura tried to sound brave but her burns were still too fresh.

"We thought we were clear the last time we sent you a message. We want you gone. I guess ruining all your clothes and disfiguring your skin wasn't enough."

"What was that?"

Daisy froze and her eyes grew impossibly big. Kimiko very slowly turned her head and Sakura couldn't fight the tears rolling down her face. _When will I stop crying so much?_ About ten feet off stood a seething Sasuke. Literal waves of anger could be felt rolling off of him.

"So you two are the ones that burned her but it wasn't enough, huh?"

Daisy and Kimiko couldn't say anything as he took a step towards them. They tried to step back but were cut off by Sakura. Kimiko's foot caught Sakura's leg and she slipped flat on the ground.

"Get out of my sight before I do something I'll regret."

The two of them scrambled as fast as they could down the hallway and down the staircase. Sasuke's gaze turned towards Sakura and she started practically hyperventilating. He had saved her. She hadn't realized how truly terrified she was until she saw him come to her rescue. In a swift movement he was by her side, gently picking her up. He carried her to his room and placed her on the couch.

"Wait here, I'll be right back."

Sakura didn't really want to but she had no choice. After a few minutes her cries slowed and she was working on slowing down her breathing. Sasuke had yet to reappear and she was wondering what was taking him so long. After almost twenty minutes he returned holding a glass of water and a platter of cookies. Sakura couldn't help but crack a small smile at the nice gesture. He handed her the plate and cup and moved to sit next to her. There was silence as she ate a cookie.

"Thanks for this. It was very thoughtful."

"You're welcome. I went down to talk to Mei and figured it would be a good pick me up."

Sakura nodded and nibbled at another cookie. "Do you want one?"

Sasuke wrinkled his nose the tiniest amount and Sakura burst out into giggles. He smiled softly as she laughed and took a big drink of water.

"I'm not sure why you wouldn't tell me who did this to you but I am glad that I've found out. I couldn't stand knowing you were hurt in my house and I couldn't do anything to protect you."

Sakura gulped slightly as Sasuke moved closer and placed his arm gently around her shoulders.

"I'm sorry for pushing you away the other day. I knew they would make things worse for me and I didn't want to get others involved."

"Why were they even doing this to you?"

Sakura averted her eyes to the plate in her hands. "You really don't want me to answer that."

"Yes, I do." Sasuke gently placed his finger under her chin and raised her face so her eyes met his. "Tell me."

"They hurt me because I was getting too close to you and your family."

There was silence as guilt washed across Sasuke's features. Sakura reached over and placed her hand on his cheek lightly. He tried to flinch out of her grasp but she wouldn't let him.

"Hey, I'm okay though. This time you saved me before anything could happen."

"And I will never let anything else happen to you."

Sakura swallowed at the sincerity in his eyes and finally dropped her hand.

"What's going to happen to Daisy and Kimiko?"

Sasuke smirked and moved to lean against the back of the couch. "Oh, I had them fired and they won't be receiving any of their last paycheck."

"Is that all? You seem a little too happy for that to be it." Sakura gulped as Sasuke's smirk widened.

"Oh, well, I did also tell Itachi what had happened and he is persecuting them with the full extent of the law. Apparently, there are quite a few other employees that have been harassed over the years and Mei had quite a report on them. But, there was never anything more serious than hurtful comments over the years and half of the maids that were involved were fired because. . . ahem. . ."

"Because?"

Sasuke shifted uncomfortably. "Because they were either flirting with us or caught in a compromising position with one of us. So, the threats were never really taken care of because the reason they were fired kind of eclipsed everything."

"I see. So, they are going to be taken to court then?"

Sasuke nodded. "Itachi is seeing to all the legal stuff. Let's just say their lives are collectively ruined from now on. They never should have messed with the Uchihas."

"Well, I suppose that is some good news."

"Sakura, you mean a great deal to me. To us and we want to make sure that this gets taken care of the right way."

Sakura awkwardly nodded as silence filled the room. She stood up and smoothed her skirt before handing Sasuke the plate of cookies and her empty glass of water. He looked at her baffled by her sudden movements.

"Thank you Sasuke but I really must be getting back to work." Sakura took a step toward the door but was stopped by Sasuke's hand on her wrist. She didn't turn to face him as he spoke.

"Why do you always run away the moment I open up a little bit to you? Why do you always leave me like this?"

Sakura took a deep breath. "Because I don't want to be hurt by you again." She turned to look at Sasuke out of the corner of her eye and saw his brows furrowed in deep confusion.

"I don't want to make myself believe that we are close and have you step all over me and forget about me like you did after middle school."

Sasuke dropped her wrist like he had been burned and she hurried out the door and back to where she had left the vacuum. She was going to put it away and then she was going home. There was way too much going on tonight and she needed to get out. Mei would understand and hopefully so would Mikoto. She would come pick up her stuff tomorrow. Sakura raced home with her heart pumping wildly in her ears. Would Sasuke remember?


	16. Chapter 16

**Just Call Me Cinderella**

_Chapter Sixteen_

* * *

Sasuke was absolutely dumbstruck. That was all there was to it. He flopped down onto the couch and blankly stared in front of him.

He had know Sakura well before and hurt her? How was it possible that he had completely forgotten?

Sasuke raced over to his closet and pulled out a sleek, black box. His mother had made him keep important things in there like pictures of his friends and various awards he had won. He tossed off the top and flicked through the contents. He knew what he was looking for was somewhere near the bottom of the box. Pictures from middle school and pictures from his summer working under Orochimaru.

Working for Orochimaru was the absolute worst possible experience for Sasuke. His parents had agreed that he needed to go off somewhere and learn a thing or two about business from someone other than them. His brother had just run away to take time for himself by going to live with some friends. His parents were not pleased and Sasuke was even worse.

He ended up as an intern that made barely minimum wage and he had to work with three other teenagers who were in similar circumstances. One of them was Karin before she got hot. Now that he thought about it the two of them never talked about that summer. Sasuke scoured through various photos of the group of interns working or of him and Naruto doing who knows what. When he finally stumbled upon what he was looking for.

In his hands was a photo from the summer prior when he had attended summer camp. It was a camp designed to teach kids how to work together and learn to defend themselves should anything happened. In Konoha it was customary for all children the year they turned thirteen to attend. The picture was of his team. Kakashi as their sensei stood in the back with a smile on his face and his arms around Naruto and Sasuke glaring daggers at each other as they were always competing to be the best. There was also a brightly smiling, pink haired girl that Sasuke recognized immediately.

Sasuke froze as he flipped through more and more pictures of the three of them chasing cats, cleaning up trash, and practicing their new skills on giant practice dummies. Sasuke's favorite picture by far was one of Sakura laughing hysterically while Naruto looked to be telling one of his crazy stories. He couldn't believe that he had been so messed up he had blocked out this part of his memories.

That summer was tainted by the fact that as soon as he got home Itachi went insane and eventually left their house without any sort of contact for months. Sasuke was absolutely devastated and he didn't remember much from school after that.

Sasuke shut his eyes and tried to remember everything he could from that year. He remembered that was the year he got really close with Naruto. The two of them had always been rivals but that year they were able to finally understand each other and strike up a friendship. It was also the year that the fangirls got really annoying and pushy and were spearheaded by none other than Ino Yamanaka.

That was the year. . . the year that Sakura had caught him on a particularly bad day of missing Itachi, the company was doing bad, and he had just agreed to giving up his summer freedom by working for Orochimaru.

That was the year she poured out her heart to him and he was too selfish and stubborn to care that she was actually somewhat genuine compared to all the other girls. He was too upset and stuck on everything else that he didn't realize that there was a small part of him that really cared about her before that. That was the moment that Sakura still had an innocence in her eyes.

Tears streamed down his face as he stared at the picture of her laughing. What had he done? No wonder she did not want to get close to him again. Not only had he cruelly rejected her affections but he had severed the friendship that they had once had as well. He had hurt her. Hurt her deeply and he had acted like he had done nothing wrong.

When his summer program with Orochimaru was finished Sasuke had decided that he was going to be different. He had matured some while learning quite a bit about business and Itachi had decided to at least email Sasuke occasionally. Sasuke's life the year before was awful and he had blocked out whatever he could. That included Sakura anything that had to do with Sakura. To him she was just another fangirl who he didn't need.

His door creaked open but Sasuke didn't care to look up. The only people that dared to enter without knocking were Naruto and his mother. And Naruto was never that quiet. Gentle arms wrapped around him and he sobbed into her shoulder.

"What have I done?"

Mikoto looked down on him with a gentle smile and looked at the picture clutched in his hand.

"It doesn't matter. What matters is what you're going to do now."

Sasuke sat up and looked at her. "What do you mean?"

"You love her and I'm guessing from the photo in your hand that you just realized you hurt her a very long time ago so I think it's time to make it right. Don't you?" She smiled at him and he reciprocated.

"Thanks mom." Sasuke kissed her quickly on the cheek and placed all of the photos back into his box except the photo of Sakura and Naruto laughing. He took a frame sitting on his nightstand with a picture of him and the guys in it and replaced it with the picture of Sakura and Naruto. It was far too precious for him to put it back into hiding.

* * *

Sakura clutched at her hair as she sighed for the millionth time. Kakashi had given everyone a free day since tomorrow was going to be their final before Christmas break. He had told them that he didn't care if they studied, talked, or slept but they needed to keep the noise down. Honestly, none of them were surprised. Last night the latest volume in Make Out Paradise was released and he was wanting to do nothing but read.

Naruto kept glancing at Sakura every two minutes and it was driving her insane. "What do you want Naruto?"

"Uh. . ." he chuckled and scratched the back of his head. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm okay. Honestly with my burn scabbing over my skin feels really tight and wearing clothes feels like an absolute chore."

Naruto nodded and smiled slightly.

"Okay, what's with you I mentioned not wearing clothes and instead of some perverted comment you just nodded?"

"Eh? Oh. . . sorry. I'm just a little out of it I guess. Have you talked to Sasuke recently?"

Sakura furrowed her eyebrows. "No, why? Is he looking for me or something?"

"Something like that."

"Naruto, none of this is any of your business so don't get involved." Sakura leaned forward so she was right in his face. He had turned around so he was straddling the seat in front of her.

"Sak, this involves my two best friends. Of course I'm going to get involved. Do you ever stop to think about the fact that what happened after middle school effected me too? The three of us were close that summer and for a year you spent more time with Ino and I spent more time with Sasuke but after that everything went to crap. You were so angsty and Sasuke came back a total douche bag. Do you know what that was like? I know the two of you are better when you're together and I would love nothing more than to see you two date. So don't tell me it's none of my business."

Naruto stood up and sat back in his seat facing the front. Sakura sat bewildered while she tried to figure out what to say.

"Naruto, look-"

"Save it Sakura. I'm not in the mood right now." He shoved headphones on his head and blocked out anything she was going to say. How dare he!

_Well, he's got a point._ Sakura slumped in her seat and tried to remember what the first year of high school had been like. Sakura had started the year after fighting with Ino and severing their friendship. They had fought over Sasuke. Sakura was determined to hate his guts for the rest of forever. Their fight had only lasted that summer since Ino witnessed the rude way Sasuke had ignored Sakura and Sakura had opened up about her rejection. Ino stopped hanging out with the fangirls and the two of them formed a bond with Hinata, who ahd previously been too shy to talk to anyone, and Tenten who was a new student from a different city.

The three of them had banded together and Sakura remembered seeing Naruto only sporadically that first year. She used to complain to him about his favoritism to Sasuke. That must have really stung him. Sakura was not a very good friend to him back then.

The bell rang and Naruto ran out of the class. Sakura grabbed her things and headed into her next class. Come to think of it, why was everyone missing from their first period class? Hinata and Neji had gone to a martial arts competition and here excused but Ino, Tenten, Sai, and Sasuke were definitely not. Was there something going?

The rest of the day progressed without Sakura seeing anyone else. Naruto avoided her at lunch so she headed to her fifth period class and ate there. Were was everyone else? Was she missing out on something? Sakura had texted Ino and Tenten a billion times but hadn't gotten any sort of reply. Weird.

School ended without a sighting of any of the rest of her friends. Sakura hurried to work and got busy so she wouldn't have to think about the weirdness of it all. She dusting the living room that overlooked the backyard when hundreds of twinkling lights turned on. Sakura dropped her duster and moved for the windows. It was like a winter wonderland scene in a Christmas movie.

Every square inch of vegetation was draped with lights that sparkled against the stark white of the remaining snow on the ground. There were mainly white lights but the pillars of the house were wrapped in a pattern of red and white like a giant candy cane. Sakura's breath caught and she started wide eyed at the beauty.

Her phone suddenly pinged. She pulled it out to see a message from Itachi of all people.

* * *

_**FROM: Itachi Uchiha**_

_Would you please come to the backyard at the end of your shift?_

* * *

Sakura looked down at her phone confused. Why would he want her to meet there? Was he proposing to Izumi or something? Sakura suddenly got very excited at the prospect and typed that she would be there. She couldn't wait for her shift to end in two hours. She desperately wanted to know what was going to happen.

* * *

Sakura readjusted her lime green beanie and made her way out the back door to the porch. The lights were even more magnificent in person. It was like walking in a fairy land. Sakura now understood why Naruto had strung so many lights at the water front for his parents. It was a beautiful sight.

Sakura walked down the stairs and toward the gazebo. She looked around at the lights and to see if there was anyone around. Itachi had told her to meet after her shift. Maybe he was running late? Or maybe he had given up and asked Izumi already?

The closer Sakura got to the gazebo the better she was able to see the lights that snaked up the sides and around the tops. They were also red and white and it made the gazebo look like it was glowing a faint pink color. Sakura climbed the steps and realized there was someone in the gazebo waiting.

Sasuke turned around wearing a navy blue beanie and scarf of his own. His hands were shoved in his pockets. Sakura was startled to see him and not Itachi. What was going on?

"Sasuke? I'm confused."

"I know." He took a step towards her and she didn't move. "Sakura, I owe you an apology and I think it's three years late."

Sakura furrowed her eyebrows and looked up at him. "What do you mean?"

Sasuke took a deep breath and a step back. He looked behind her for a few minutes before he started speaking.

"I'm sorry for the way I rejected you after middle school."

The air felt like it had been sucked out from Sakura's body. She didn't respond. She just kept watching him.

"Back then I was dealing with a lot. Itachi had suddenly left to try to figure himself out and my parents were upset and putting a lot of pressure on me. I agreed to spend that upcoming summer working under Orochimaru."

Sakura gasped and quickly placed her gloved hands over her mouth. She had heard rumors that he had worked under that awful man but to hear it was true was horrible. Orochimaru was a serious creep and he did some shady things. He was a shrewd businessman but scary.

"I was dealing with a lot and that summer camp seemed like too happy of a memory. I had blocked out everything before high school in an attempt to move past it. Which included you. I honestly did not remember being close to you at all or breaking your heart."

Tears started streaming down Sakura's face. She had no idea that he had dealt with so much stuff. His life always looked picture perfect on the outside. Itachi and him seemed pretty close despite their bantering. Now their bantering made more sense. Sasuke was still healing. It still hurt to think about his rejection all those years ago but she was starting to understand it a little more.

"Honestly, I only remembered because I found a bunch of pictures. This one is my favorite." Sasuke reached behind himself to a table and picked up a photo frame. He held it out to Sakura who took it with curiosity.

It was a picture of Naruto telling a wild tale and flailing around as she laughed hysterically. Her eyes were clenched shut and the first sign of tears was showing in the corner of her eyes. Sakura couldn't help the tears that started falling faster now. Why was this his favorite?

"Why is this framed?"

"I wanted to see the happy faces of the two people that mean the most to me besides my family everyday. Sakura," Sasuke put his hands on her cheeks and wiped at her tears with his thumbs. "I rejected you because were meant something to me I didn't understand at the time. You were so important to me and I couldn't handle it with everything else was going on so I forgot about it. I am so sorry for the hurt I have caused you and I don't want to make that mistake ever again. Please, give me the chance to be different."

Sakura blinked up at him. There was sincerity like she'd never seen before in his eyes. He truly meant every word. Sakura pulled away slightly and Sasuke dropped his hands. Sakura wiped furiously at her face and took a few steadying breaths.

"I think I'll need some time to fully forgive you but I can't deny that I never got over you. I love you Sasuke Uchiha and I have for the last few years. I'm not sure that I can fully trust you or date you or anything else just yet but I wanted you to know that I am so grateful that you told me all of that."

Sasuke smiled gently as he pulled her into a tight hug. "That's good enough for me right now."

Sakura hugged him back and looked out over the shimmering lights. She blinked and pulled back. "Did you do all this for me?" 

Sasuke looked around. "I had some help."

Sakura leaned back against his chest and smiled. So that was where everyone had run off to today. Everyone but Naruto. She really needed to apologize to him too. He was just being a good friend and she was rude to him. She had no idea what was he was dealing with either. She really was a selfish idiot that needed to work on her awareness.

"Let's go inside and warm up a bit then I'll walk you home."

Sakura nodded and followed Sasuke into the house. She wasn't sure what they were now but they were good. For the first time in years they were good.

* * *

**A/N: **_What even is this chapter? Pro tip: Don't write the first half of your chapter one month and then the second half like three months later. Chanes are you'll forget where you're supposed to be going. _


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